title: Primary pineal malignant melanoma.
abstract: Primary pineal malignant melanomas are a rare subset of primary central nervous system melanomas. This report presents the case of a 20-year-old female patient with a primary pineal region malignant melanoma who underwent endoscopic biopsy and adjuvant therapy. Her treatment consisted of stereotactic radiation to the pineal tumor, conventional whole-brain radiation and Temodar(R) for the disseminated disease. She required a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt for refractory ICP problems. This report details the clinical features of the case and summarizes the literature on a rare but aggressive neoplasm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. mbookla1@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bookland
authors.forename: W Stanley
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biser-Rohrbaugh
authors.forename: George I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Jallo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D010870:Pineal Gland