title: Primary malignant melanoma of the vagina.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary vaginal melanoma is a rare, highly malignant, and poor prognostic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 51-year-old patient with diagnosis of vaginal malignant melanoma was referred to our clinic. Since detection of pervasive brown lesions in the vagina total vaginectomy was performed. At pathological investigation melanoma was not determined. Immunotherapy was administered adjuvantly. Paraaortic lymph node metastasis was seen on the ninth month after total vaginectomy and the metastatic lymph nodes were excised. Cisplatin and tremozolamide chemotherapy was administered for six cycles after surgery. The patient is alive and disease-free at 18th month of the diagnosis of the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The impact of therapy on outcome of primary vaginal malign melanomas is poorly understood. Improved clinical outcomes were associated with surgical removal of gross disease whenever possible. Because of the low rate of lymph node metastasis, elective pelvic lymph node dissection is not mandatory. We presented a case of FIGO stage I primary vaginal malignant melanoma, which metastasized to the paraaortic lymph nodes 9 months after the primary operation.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Izmir Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baloglu
authors.forename: Incim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bezircioglu
authors.forename: Burcu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cetinkaya
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yavuzcan
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077204:Temozolomide; D014625:Vaginal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D003606:Dacarbazine; D002945:Cisplatin; D000077204:Temozolomide