title: Giant malignant melanoma: a case report.
abstract: Malignant melanoma is an aggressive tumor of melanocytes whose primary function is producing melanin pigment. Though they vary according to the microscopical subtype, these tumors often arise in the sun-exposed skin of elderly individuals, in the acral regions and in the palms and soles of the hands and feet. A 56-year-old patient visited the emergency department of our hospital with complaints of a sudden hemorrhage from a mass on her left thigh which had appeared five months ago. On physical examination a brown-black mass with dimensions of 18 x 16 x 5 cm, protruding from the skin with a partially and actively hemorrhagic, ulcerated surface, was found on the left gluteal region. The mass was excised surgically with 3 cm safe surgical margins. Histopathologically the lesion was diagnosed as "nodular malignant melanoma - Clark level 5". A malignant melanoma of such a large size is very exceptional in the literature; thus it is presented here with its interesting rapid clinical course.
authors.affiliation: Department of of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Sisli Etfal Research and Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Kiyak
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Yesilada
authors.forename: K Z
authors.initials: KZ
authors.lastname: Sevim
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Usta
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D019394:Ki-67 Antigen