title: Small bowel intussusception secondary to metastatic melanoma 15 years after complete excision of the primary tumor.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary intestinal melanoma is a rare entity, however the gastrointestinal tract, and particularly the small bowel, is a common site of recurrence from cutaneous melanoma. PRESENTATION OF CASE We report the case of a 48 year old woman with small bowel intussusception secondary to metastatic cutaneous melanoma, 15 years after excision of the primary tumor. The patient underwent an emergency small bowel resection with negative margins on final pathology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical resection is a palliative, yet necessary, procedure in the setting of small bowel obstruction due to intussusception secondary to intestinal metastatic melanoma. In case of bowel metastasis, presenting symptoms are nonspecific and do not provide significant clues to the differential diagnosis of the underlying disease. In some patients, complete surgical resection of early diagnosed bowel metastases is associated with prolonged survival. Systemic chemotherapy in these patients does not provide survival benefit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The occurrence of bowel relapse after very long disease free interval, while highly unlikely in most tumors, should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with previous history of cutaneous malignant melanoma presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Digestive Surgery, University of Vigo - Meixoeiro Hospital, Vigo, Spain. Electronic address: v.vigorita@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vigorita
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Digestive Surgery, University of Vigo - Meixoeiro Hospital, Vigo, Spain.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ausania
authors.affiliation: General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Catholic University Med. School - "A. Gemelli" Gen. Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bertucci Zoccali
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Digestive Surgery, University of Vigo - Meixoeiro Hospital, Vigo, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina Facal
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Digestive Surgery, University of Vigo - Meixoeiro Hospital, Vigo, Spain.
authors.forename: Blanca De Urrutia
authors.initials: Bde U
authors.lastname: Nadal
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Digestive Surgery, University of Vigo - Meixoeiro Hospital, Vigo, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Enrique Casal
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Nuñez
keywords: Intussusception; Melanoma metastasis