title: Metastatic melanoma of the maxilla presenting as a gingival swelling.
abstract: Malignant melanoma metastatic to the gingiva has been reported only once. We present a case in which the occurrence of melanoma in the gingiva followed extraction of a periapically "abscessed" tooth. Since the initial periapical mass may well have been a metastatic tumor, particularly in a patient undergoing therapy for disseminated malignant disease, the need for biopsy of such lesions is emphasized.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms; D008441:Maxillary Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010482:Periapical Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis*