Differential Diagnosis for Tumor of the Nail Bed Causing Nail Flattening
- Single Most Likely Diagnosis
- Glomus tumor: This is a benign tumor that arises from the glomus body, a specialized form of blood vessel in the nail bed. It is known to cause nail flattening or deformation due to its location and growth pattern.
- Other Likely Diagnoses
- Squamous cell carcinoma: Although less common than glomus tumors in causing nail flattening, squamous cell carcinoma can occur in the nail bed and lead to deformation of the nail.
- Subungual melanoma: This is a type of skin cancer that can occur under the nail and cause changes in the nail's appearance, including flattening.
- Keratoacanthoma: A low-grade malignancy that can occur in the nail bed and cause nail deformation.
- Do Not Miss Diagnoses
- Subungual melanoma (again, due to its potential severity and the importance of early detection): Despite being mentioned in other likely diagnoses, subungual melanoma is critical not to miss due to its potential for metastasis and high mortality rate if not caught early.
- Squamous cell carcinoma (due to potential for local destruction and metastasis): Similar to subungual melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma in the nail bed can be aggressive and requires early detection.
- Rare Diagnoses
- Onychomatricoma: A rare, benign tumor of the nail matrix that can cause nail plate thickening and deformation, though less commonly associated with flattening.
- Subungual exostosis: A bony growth that occurs under the nail and can cause nail deformation, including flattening, though it's more commonly associated with pain and nail lifting.
- Nail bed metastasis: Metastatic disease to the nail bed from other primary cancers, which is rare but can cause a variety of nail changes, including flattening.