Primary gastric mucosal melanoma: A rare histopathological diagnosis

Abstract

Primary mucosal melanoma in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is very rare, as most of the melanomas diagnosed in the GI tract are metastases, secondary to cutaneous melanomas. We report a rare case of primary gastric mucosal melanoma in a 58-year-old male patient who presented with a short history of upper abdominal tightness and pain for 15 days. Upper GI endoscopy revealed a polypoid mucosal mass with ulceration at the gastric antrum of 2 cm × 2 cm dimension, which was diagnosed histopathologically as malignant melanoma. A detailed clinical and laboratory workup did not reveal any other primary site elsewhere and there was no relevant history suggesting a cutaneous melanocytic lesion. Upper GI endoscopy and microscopic tissue examination with immunohistochemistry formed the mainstay of diagnosis of this exceedingly rare neoplasm.

Keywords

• endoscopy
• gastric
• immunohistochemistry
• melanoma
• mucosal