title: Primary spinal melanoma: a case report and literature review.
abstract: This case report describes a 44-year-old woman with primary spinal cord malignant melanoma localized in the lumbar region. This is a very rare lesion. The patient presented with back pain and slight weakness in her lower extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging showed hyperintense signals on T1-weighted images and hypointense signals on T2-weighted images. The entire tumor was removed surgically. The patient's postoperative clinical examination revealed mild neurological improvements. Histopathological investigations confirmed the tumor was a malignant melanoma. When treating common lesions of the lumbar spinal cord with a benign appearance, surgeons should be aware of the potential for malignant tumors.
authors.affiliation: Xi'an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Bao-rong
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Ding-jun
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*