I've had this brown vertical line on the nail of my middle finger for about a year now, and there's been no pain or growth. I stumbled upon something saying these lines could be linked to melanoma skin cancer, which freaked me out a bit. No one in my family has ever had cancer, but should I be worried about this line on my nail?

Dr Anshul Maheshwari

General Practitioner

• MBBS
• 5+ Yrs

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The brown vertical line in your nail plate may be due to a condition called longitudinal melanonychia. While it can sometimes be a sign of melanoma, it is important to consider other causes first. In your case, since there is no associated growth or pain, it may not be a cause for concern. However, it is still recommended to have it evaluated by a healthcare professional to rule out any serious conditions.

Answered 13 days ago