We report the unusual case of a 77-year-old black man who developed a recurrent melanoma on his right heel, encompassing the indigenous acral skin and the skin that had been taken from the donor site in the groin and grafted to the acral surface. Microscopic examination of the recurrent in situ melanoma growing in the two types of skin has provided a fresh perspective on the ''controversy'' regarding the pathophysiology of melanoma.
Report of a Case.
A 77-year-old black man presented at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY, with a pigmented lesion on the right heel.Ten years before, the patient had presented to another institution with a pigmented lesion at the same site that was present for an unknown length of time. An excisional biopsy specimen revealed in situ melanoma. The microscopic margins of resection were free of tumor; however, the gross description suggested that the area of pigmentation