title: Colonic melanoma, primary or regressed primary.
abstract: Primary melanoma originating in the gastrointestinal tract is very rare and the majority of these tumors arise in the mucosa of the anus or rectum. A case of solitary colonic melanoma in a 79-year-old man is described with a review of pertinent literature. The surgically excised neoplasm was evaluated by routine histology and immunohistochemistry stains. Pathologic examination of the excised cecal mass revealed an 8 x 5-cm tan-pink mass with a central green-black necrotic area. Histologically, there were solid sheets of S100- and HMB-45-positive pigmented cells extending from the mucosal ulcerated surface through the bowel wall. The patient had no evidence of cutaneous or ocular primary melanoma. He remained free of recurrent disease 5 years after surgical resection of the colonic melanoma. The unique pathologic features and clinical outcome support the diagnosis of primary colonic melanoma in this patient.
authors.affiliation: Section of Surgical Oncology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8062, USA.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Poggi
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Madison
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Hwu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bayar
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Salem
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery