Bladder metastasis from cutaneous melanoma during adjuvant immunotherapy: A case report and literature review
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Cutaneous melanoma is among the most common malignancies in the United States and accounts for ~5% of all cancers.Melanoma preferentially metastasizes to lymph nodes, lungs, liver and brain, while bladder involvement is rare and associated with poor prognosis.The present study reports a 79-year-old woman with stage III, operable, BRAF wild-type melanoma of the back, treated with surgical excision and adjuvant immunotherapy.During adjuvant pembrolizumab treatment, a first solitary pulmonary relapse was observed.The metastasis was amenable to surgical resection, and the patient continued immunotherapy.Subsequently, recurrent haematuria led to the identification of a bladder lesion, which was removed via transurethral resection and the pathological evaluation confirmed metastatic melanoma.Following this second relapse, restaging imaging documented systemic disease progression involving lymph nodes, liver and bone.The patient then initiated first-line treatment with nivolumab and ipilimumab, achieving an ongoing clinical and radiological partial response.This study highlights several clinically relevant aspects: The potential role of local treatment strategies for oligoprogressive disease in prolonging the benefit of immunotherapy, the rare occurrence of bladder metastasis during adjuvant pembrolizumab, and the activity of combined cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4/programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade even after progression on prior anti-PD-1 therapy.Early recognition of atypical metastatic sites and multidisciplinary management may contribute to prolonged disease control in selected patients with metastatic melanoma.
Source: Molecular and Clinical Oncology
Language: English
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223055639