Year: 2005
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: This report describes a new case of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) and reviews the recent literature. A 66-year-old Japanese woman with loss of appetite was examined by endoscopy, and a pigmented polypoid mass about 1.0 cm×1.0 cm in size in the lower third of the esophagus was detected, identified by biopsy as a malignant melanoma. No pigmented lesions of the skin or eyes, rectum, or elsewhere were observed and a diagnosis of PMME was made. A sub-total esophagectomy was carried out and 9 months after surgery the patient was found to have metastases, which had become very progressive.This case had an extremely poor prognosis despite various therapeutic efforts. PMME is a rare neoplasma, with only 238 cases having been reported in the overseas literature through 2002, and 198 cases reported inJapan through 2003. Although characterized by an aggressive biological behavior, for cases in Japan, esophagectomy can result in a 5-year survival rate of up to 30.7%.
Institution: Tokyo Women's Medical University
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W1504606486