title: Primary Pulmonary Malignant Melanoma: Report of an Important Entity and Literature Review.
abstract: Malignant melanoma involving the respiratory tract is nearly always metastatic in origin, and primary tumors are extremely rare. Published data on primary pulmonary malignant melanomas are limited. Up to now 40 relevant cases have been reported in the English literature. Herein, we report a case of a 56-year-old female patient who presented with intracranial metastases due to primary pulmonary melanoma. She underwent bronchoscopy and died 5 months after the initial diagnosis despite the administered biochemotherapy and subsequent immunotherapy. To establish the diagnosis of primary pulmonary malignant melanoma, any extrapulmonary origin was excluded by detailed examination and radiographic imaging. Moreover, an extensive review of the literature regarding this rare entity has been performed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Stavros Niarchos Avenue, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kyriakopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Stavros Niarchos Avenue, 45110 Ioannina, Greece; Society for Study of the Clonal Heterogeneity of Neoplasia, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zarkavelis
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Stavros Niarchos Avenue, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Artemis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andrianopoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Stavros Niarchos Avenue, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papoudou-Bai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Stavros Niarchos Avenue, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stefanou
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Stavros Niarchos Avenue, 45110 Ioannina, Greece; Society for Study of the Clonal Heterogeneity of Neoplasia, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Stergios
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2512-6131
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boussios
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Stavros Niarchos Avenue, 45110 Ioannina, Greece; Society for Study of the Clonal Heterogeneity of Neoplasia, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6632-2462
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pentheroudakis