Primary malignant melanoma of maxillary gingiva--a case report and review of the literature.
Dentists may encounter pigmented lesions in routine clinical practice. In most cases, the lesions are asymptomatic and benign in nature; however, rarely, a pigmented lesion can be a sign of malignancy. We report a case of malignant melanoma of the maxillary gingiva to highlight the importance of biopsy and periodic follow-up of patients with unusual focal pigmented lesions in the oral cavity.
Oral Cancer Prevention Program, BC Cancer Agency/Cancer Control Research Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada. drajitauluck@gmail.com
Ajit
A
Auluck
Lewei
L
Zhang
Rajeev
R
Desai
Miriam P
MP
Rosin
D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005887:Gingival Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008441:Maxillary Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D010859:Pigmentation Disorders / Q000473:pathology