Open AccessAmelanotic melanoma of the nasal mucosa: A rare case report
Author(s) -
Bharat Bhushan Dogra,
Ashwani Kandari,
Mahendra Kataria,
Archana Buch
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
medical journal of dr. d y patil university/medical journal of dr. d.y. patil university
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2278-7119
pISSN - 0975-2870
DOI - 10.4103/0975-2870.160834
Subject(s) - melanoma , medicine , head and neck , leptomeninges , nasal cavity , dermatology , pathology , mucosal melanoma , amelanotic melanoma , malignant transformation , mucous membrane of nose , anatomy , surgery , cancer research , central nervous system
Melanomas develop due to malignant transformation of melanocytes, which are derived from the neuroectoderm. Although the majority of melanomas are cutaneous, they occasionally arise from extra-cutaneous tissues as well which contain melanocytes, such as uvea, leptomeninges, or the mucosa. Melanomas can be melanotic or amelanotic. Approximately, 15-20% of all malignant melanomas arise in head and neck region and over 80% of these involve the skin. Mucosal malignant melanomas are very rare and may affect the upper aero-digestive tract (UADT). Their incidence is approximately as low as 0.5-3% of all malignant melanomas. Majority of noncutaneous head and neck malignant melanomas affect the ocular origin and only 6-8% originate in the mucous membranes of the UADT. Nasal mucosal melanomas account for <1% of all melanomas and <5% of all nasal tract neoplasms. The incidence of amelanotic melanomas (AMs) has been estimated to be between 1.8 and 8.1% of all melanomas. We present a case of 62-year-old lady presenting with epistaxis and a mass in left nasal cavity, diagnosed as AM and managed by wide local excision and primary reconstruction in our institution