MELANOMA ARISING ON STARS - REPORT OF 3 CASES

Melanoma rarely occur on scars, although squamous-cell carcinomas are more frequently reported. We observed three cases which were compared with 37 cases found in the literature. These scars are usually cause;l by thermal burn and smallpox vaccination. The extremities are mainly involved In burn scars and the left arm in vaccination scars. Diagnosi s is often late, sometimes with ulcerated lesions. This delay probably partially accounts for the overall bad prognosis of these lesions, es pecially for melanomas arising on burn scars. Previous grafting for bu rn scars does not seem to be a significant event. The pathophysiology of this complication is discussed. This rare but seemingly dangerous e volution emphasizes the importance of vigilance regarding scars modifi cations especially following burns, even very old burns.