Podiatric Dermatology Quiz: Can You Identify This Lesion?

Can you identify the lesion in the photo on the left?

Over one million cases of these lesions are diagnosed yearly in the United States. These lesions most commonly begin as pearly, semi-translucent papules with telangiectasias. Over time, nodularity and central ulceration develop, and are accompanied by bleeding. It is uncommon for these lesions to occur on the lower extremities. Seventy percent of these lesions occur on the head and 25 percent occur on the trunk.

In terms of treatment, possible options include full excision, curettage, cryosurgery and radiation therapy.

Which of the following is your diagnosis?

a) Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans
b) Basal cell carcinoma
c) Kaposi’s sarcoma
d) Amelanotic melanoma
e) Squamous cell carcinoma

Please leave your answer in the comment section below. I will share the answer in the next couple of days on Facebook and Twitter, and at the end of my next blog.

Editor’s note: This blog is adapted from the handbook, Skin Disease Of The Lower Extremities: A Photographic Guide, from Tracey Vlahovic, DPM, and Stephen M. Schleicher, MD. The book is available for purchase at www.lowerextremityderm.com . The e-book version is available for purchase at https://tinyurl.com/7itt66v , https://tinyurl.com/7j44vez and https://tinyurl.com/couepf5 .

The answer to the last blog (see https://tinyurl.com/po4dsrn ) was d) prurigo nodularis,