Eleven-year survival from an intra-dermal melanoma.
Stage IV metastatic malignant melanoma of unknown primary (TxNxM1a) is known to have a poor prognosis. However, some patients suffering from cutaneous disease originally thought to represent metastasis have fared much better than expected. We report a patient who has survived 11 years following such a diagnosis. Due to the prolonged survival and absence of an identified primary, it is unlikely that the lesion was metastatic but may represent one of a number of other possibilities. A small number of similar cases in the literature suggest a need for awareness of this unusual group of patients.
Tansley
P
P
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, UK. patrick.tansley@btinternet.com
Dewar
D
D
Brown
D
D
Brough
M
M
Cook
M
M
Withey
S
S
Butler
P
P
D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*