Acral melanoma is a rare subtype of melanoma that arises on the non-hair bearing skin of the nail bed, palms of the hand and soles of the feet. It is unique among melanomas in not being linked to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure from the sun, and, as such, its incidence is similar across populations who are of Asian, Hispanic, African and European origin. Although research into acral melanoma has lagged behind that of sun-exposed cutaneous melanoma, recent studies have begun to address the unique genetics and immune features of acral melanoma. In this review we will discuss the latest progress in understanding the biology of acral melanoma across different ethnic populations and will outline how these new discoveries can help to guide the therapeutic management of this rare tumor.

肢端黑色素瘤是黑色素瘤的一种罕见亚型，发生在甲床、手掌和脚底的无毛皮肤上。它在黑色素瘤中的独特之处在于与太阳紫外线辐射 (UVR) 暴露无关，因此，其在亚洲、西班牙、非洲和欧洲血统人群中的发病率相似。尽管对肢端黑色素瘤的研究落后于阳光照射的皮肤黑色素瘤，但最近的研究已经开始解决肢端黑色素瘤独特的遗传学和免疫特征。在这篇综述中，我们将讨论了解不同种族人群肢端黑色素瘤生物学的最新进展，并概述这些新发现如何帮助指导这种罕见肿瘤的治疗管理。