[Delay of the diagnosis of an amelanotic malignant melanoma due to CO2-laser treatment--case report and discussion].

The incidence of malignant melanoma is steadily increasing. The best prognostic indicator of melanoma is the vertical tumor thickness. Early recognition of melanoma by the naked eye is often difficult, because many lesions simulate its clinical presentation. We report on a 47-year-old man with a red papular skin lesion treated by CO2 laser. The histological diagnosis of an amelanotic malignant melanoma was thus delayed for one year. Clinically ambiguous skin tumors should never be treated by laser prior to a diagnostic biopsy.