title: Primary malignant melanoma of the trachea: A case report.
abstract: Primary cancer of the trachea is rare and accounts for only 0.1-0.4% of all newly diagnosed respiratory tract cancers, worldwide. In the present study, a case of primary tracheal malignant melanoma, a particularly rare type of cancer, is reported. A 68-year-old male presented with a cough and bloody sputum. A chest computed tomography scan revealed a 25×20×15-mm tracheal tumor, located immediately above the carina, which reduced the cross-sectional area of the trachea by ~90%. Histopathological analysis of biopsy specimens determined a diagnosis of malignant melanoma. The patient was treated with argon plasma coagulation and chemoradiotherapy, which restored airway patency, however, metastasis was detected in the lungs. The patient refused further treatment and received palliative care. Subsequently, the patient succumbed to the disease within four months. Thus, although primary malignant melanoma of the trachea is extremeley rare, the possibility should be considered during diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kiyohara
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Shusuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Nao
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kusutani
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuhiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taira
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirotsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kenmotsu
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiation Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Tateaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shizuoka City Hospital, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka 420-8630, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.affiliation: Division of Proton Therapy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fuji
authors.affiliation: Division of Diagnostic Radiology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.affiliation: Division of Diagnostic Pathology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Suntou-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
keywords: argon plasma coagulation; malignant melanoma; trachea