title: Solitary metachronous splenic metastasis from cutaneous melanoma.
abstract: Melanoma has been found to metastasise to the spleen, usually in cases of disseminated disease. Solitary splenic metastasis from cutaneous melanoma is very rare. Herein we report the case of a 43-year-old man who developed solitary splenic metastasis from cutaneous melanoma. The patient was operated for T(4b) N(1a) Mo superficial spreading melanoma of the anterior thoracic wall. He subsequently underwent left axillary lymph node dissection due to a positive sentinel lymph node. The 33 retrieved lymph nodes were negative for metastasis. The patient received adjuvant therapy with high-dose interferon α-2b. After 27 months and during the follow-up visit an increasing lactate dehydrogenase serum level was observed. Furthermore, CT of the whole body revealed a solitary hypodense tumour of the spleen 9 cm×6 cm. Curative splenectomy was performed and the histopathological report confirmed metastatic melanoma to the spleen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Theageneio Anticancer Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Paschalis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gavriilidis
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goupou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001365:Axilla / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013156:Splenectomy; D013160:Splenic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D013909:Thorax
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase