title: Primary melanoma of the small bowel revealed by gastrointestinal bleeding: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary melanoma of the small bowel is extremely rare. Only a limited number of cases have been described in the literature. Mostly, the small intestine is affected by metastatic tumors of other primary lesions, especially cutaneous.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the case of a 75-year-old North African woman with a small bowel melanoma. The diagnosis was made by histological examination and immunohistochemical profile matching after a segmental small bowel resection. Postoperative investigations looking for cutaneous, gastrointestinal or ocular primary lesions found no abnormalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diagnosis of primary small bowel melanoma can be retained although it remains difficult to exclude the possibility of metastatic melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Surgery Unit B, Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco. aitidirbadr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ait Idir
authors.affiliation: Surgery Unit B, Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Riany
authors.affiliation: Pathology Unit, Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jahid
authors.affiliation: Surgery Unit B, Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chad
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D017699:Pelvic Pain; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Gastrointestinal bleeding; Intestinal melanoma; Primary melanoma of the small bowel