title: Malignant melanoma of the vagina: A case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Primary malignant melanoma of the vagina is an extremely rare variant of melanoma that accounts for <3% of all vaginal malignancies. Primary malignant melanoma of the vagina has a worse prognosis as compared with non-genital melanomas or other vaginal malignant neoplasms. A-35-year-old female had a diagnosis of primary malignant melanoma of the vagina. A local excision of the tumor was first performed, followed by a radical excision as a further therapeutic measure. The patient returned after three weeks, presenting with a vesico-vaginal fistula. A conservative operation was subsequently performed in order to improve the quality of life of the patient. Pelvic metastases were identified 6 months after the completion of the last surgical therapy and subsequent follow-up examinations were performed in another hospital. The present case study describes the clinical features and surgical procedures of this patient with primary malignant melanoma of the vagina. In conclusion, melanoma of the vagina is an extremely aggressive cancer and the overall prognosis is poor despite the various treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lifeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510630, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lizhi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Guangzhou, Guangdong 528000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Huiling
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaojian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
keywords: malignant melanoma; vagina