Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Nail Bed

Carcinomaing from the nail bed is infrequently reported and probably rarely seen. Only 24 cases had been reported until 1964.1It is of a low grade malignancy and has been reported to develop following chronic paronychia and trauma.1-5Cure has occurred following limited amputation of the involved finger.1,5 The following cases are the only ones in the records of the Pathology Department at the Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital. Report of Cases Case1 (HARH 2991).—The patient was a 58-year-old white woman who was seen in September 1967 because of a painful mass under the nail of the right fifth finger. She had noticed the mass about two months previously, following trauma to the finger. On examination a round, smooth, hard mass, 5 mm in diameter, was noted beneath the nail. No lymph nodes were palpable in the right upper arm. Amputation through the distal phalange, proximal to