title: Malignant melanoma of the vagina: report of two cases and review of the literature.
abstract: Vaginal melanoma (VM) is a rare disease comprising <1% of all melanomas among women, and about 3% of all vaginal malignancies. Patients experience a poor prognosis, showing <15% 5-year survival. The report concerns two premenopausal patients with VM treated by surgery with radical intent. The first patient presented with a large lesion also infiltrating the proximal paracolpium and the bladder. The second patient had a persistent lesion of the lower third of the vagina. However, in the absence of any evidence-based guidelines or even clear suggestions from the literature, it is reasonable to believe that an appropriate management of primary malignant VM should address the radical tumor resection with wide tumor-free surgical margins and symptom relief.
authors: Gynecologic Oncology, National Cancer Institute "G. Pascale," Naples, Italy. oncogin03@yahoo.it
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Greggi
authors: Simona
authors: S
authors: Losito
authors: Carmela
authors: C
authors: Pisano
authors: Sonia
authors: S
authors: Desicato
authors: Cono
authors: C
authors: Scaffa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010385:Pelvic Exenteration; D011379:Prognosis; D014625:Vaginal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*