Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Jun 12:9:929-37.
doi: 10.2147/CIA.S64361. eCollection 2014.

Mucosal melanomas in the elderly: challenging cases and review of the literature

Flavia Baderca  1 , Dana Vincze  2 , Nicolae Balica  3 , Caius Solovan  4
Affiliations
Review

Mucosal melanomas in the elderly: challenging cases and review of the literature

Flavia Baderca et al. Clin Interv Aging. .

Abstract

Melanomas are malignant tumors that originate from melanocytes. They are most frequently localized in the skin, but 5% of all melanomas interest also extracutaneous sites as mucosal surfaces, parenchymatous organs, the retroperitoneum area, and the ocular ball. The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiologic and morphologic data of mucosal melanomas diagnosed at Emergency City Hospital (Timisoara, Romania) during a period of 12 years. The study included 17 cases of extracutaneous, extraocular melanomas, with 16 primary melanomas and one secondary melanoma. All our patients were older than 53 years and were mostly men. Most of the patients presented with localized disease; only one case had regional lymph node metastases, and another one had systemic metastases at the time of diagnosis. Regarding localization, nine of 16 melanomas were in the head and neck region, six were diagnosed in the gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts (three cases each), and one case had a rare localization (retroperitoneum). The most common histologic type was represented by epithelioid cells, and the majority of the tumors were achromic. Mucosal melanoma is a tumor associated with aging, all our patients being older than 53 years. Because of unspecific symptoms and low incidence, the diagnosis is often delayed and requires teamwork among the clinician, pathologist, radiologist, and oncologist. Different genetic fingerprints impose a correct diagnosis to offer the patient the best novel, personalized therapy.

Keywords: immunohistochemistry; kit gene mutations; melanocytes; molecular classification; mucosal melanoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pigmented melanoma metastasis constituted from pleomorphic epithelioid cells; hematoxylin and eosin stain, ob. 40×. Abbreviation: ob, objective.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bucopharyngoscopy: oropharyngeal (right palatine tonsil) melanoma.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Epithelioid malignant melanocytes with high pleomorphic nuclei and large macronucleoli; hematoxylin and eosin stain, ob. 40×. Abbreviation: ob, objective.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Left nasal fossa polypoid mass.
Figure 5
Figure 5
70° rigid hypopharyngolaryngoscopy: laryngeal melanoma.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Melan A positivity in the malignant melanocytes, ob. 40×. Abbreviation: ob, objective.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Fernandez-Flores A. Prognostic factors for melanoma progression and metastasis: from Hematoxylin-Eosin to genetics. Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2012;53(3):449–459. - PubMed
    1. Weber CO. Chirurgische Ehrfahrungen und Untersuchungen, nebst zahlreichen Beobachtungen aus der chirurgischen Klinik und dem Evan gelischen Krankenhaus zu Bonn. Berlin: G Reimer; 1859.
    1. Lucke A. Die Lehre von den Geschwulsten in anatomischer und klinischer Beziehung in Handbuch d. allg. u. spec. chir. Erlangen. 1869:244.
    1. Lincoln RP. A case of melano-sarcoma of the nose cured by galvanocauterization. N Y Med J. 1885;42:406–407.
    1. Curtin JA, Fridlyand J, Kageshita T, et al. Distinct sets of genetic alterations in melanoma. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(20):2135–2147. - PubMed

MeSH terms