Open AccessAnal canal melanoma misdiagnosed and treated as prolapsed hemorrhoids in a male patient
Author(s) -
Tariq Ahmed Mala,
Raghav Gupta,
Soofia Ahmad,
Shahaid Amin Malla,
Ved Bushan Gupta,
Ijaz Hussain Shah
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
formosan journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.135
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 2213-5413
pISSN - 1682-606X
DOI - 10.1016/j.fjs.2013.11.002
Subject(s) - medicine , anal canal , hemorrhoids , surgery , radiation therapy , magnetic resonance imaging , melanoma , biopsy , anal verge , metastasis , radiology , rectum , cancer , colorectal cancer , cancer research
SummaryMalignant melanoma of the anal canal is a rare, but aggressive, tumor with a poor prognosis. It represents less than 1% of all melanomas and 4% of anorectal tumors. We are reporting this case because of its rarity in men and because, in this instance, the tumor was misdiagnosed as prolapsed thrombosed hemorrhoids and excised. Examination showed a visible exophytic irreducible growth measuring about 3 × 3 cm and protruding outside the anal verge and involving the anterior two-thirds of the circumference of the anal canal. A biopsy sample showed round to oval cells with prominent nucleoli and marked intracytoplasmic pigmentation. A magnetic resonance imaging scan showed a tumor with nearly complete luminal obstruction and liver metastasis. The patient received chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but the response was very poor and he died 2 months later