Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagogastric junction: Report of a case

The Development and Validation of a Nomogram for Predicting Cancer-Specific Survival and a Risk Stratification System for Patients with Primary Gastrointestinal Melanoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The aim of our study was to develop and validate a nomogram to predict cancer-specific survival and make a risk stratification system for primary gastrointestinal melanoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with primary gastrointestinal melanoma in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 2000 and 2018 were included and randomly divided into the training and validation cohort (8:2). A prediction nomogram of cancer-specific survival was constructed based on the risk factors identified in the multivariate Cox regression. Calibration curve, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic, and decision curve analysis were performed. Further, a risk stratification system was developed based on the nomogram.

RESULTS

A total of 433 patients were included. The nomogram was constructed based on age, site, and tumor size, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) stage, and therapy. The area under the curves of the nomogram predicting 6-, 12-, and 18-month cancer-specific survival were 0.789, 0.757, and 0.726 for the internal validation and 0.796, 0.763, and 0.795 for the external validation. Calibration curves and decision curve analysis were performed. Further, patients were divided into 2 risk subgroups. The Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test showed that the risk stratification made well differentiation of patients with different risks of cancerspecific survival.

CONCLUSION

We developed and validated a practical prediction model of cancer-specific survival and a risk stratification system for patients with primary gastrointestinal melanoma, which might be available in clinical practices.

Primary malignant melanoma in gastroesophageal junction with 36 months' recurrence-free: a case report

BACKGROUND

Melanoma is a sinister malignant tumor originates from melanocytes and is characterized by the presence of black pigmentation in the tissue. The vast majority of melanomas are cutaneous melanomas, and primary mucosal melanomas originating from the esophagus are extremely rare. Primary malignant melanoma of esophagus (PMME) accounts for 0.1% to 0.2% of all primary esophageal malignancies. PMME possess high invasiveness but are insensitive to various treatments, so the prognosis is disappointing. Most literature reported that patients are prone to death from complications of tumor metastasis soon, even they undergo radical surgery.

CASE DESCRIPTION

In this case report, we admitted a 67-year-old female patient with recurrent chest tightness for 2 years and chest pain for 15 days on October 4, 2017. Preoperative imaging examinations, including computerized tomography (CT) and upper gastrointestinal examination by barium revealed stenosis of the lower esophagus and the fundus of the stomach, with mucosa destruction and lymph node metastasis in the hepatic-gastric space. A laparoscope assisted total gastrectomy with D2 lymph node resection and Roux-en-Y anastomosis was performed without adjuvant immunotherapy or targeted therapies. Postoperative pathological examination and immunohistochemical staining indicated malignant melanoma. Meanwhile we did not find a cutaneous lesion, this patient was therefore diagnosed with a rare PMME. There was no sign of recurrence or metastasis during the latest follow-up of 36 months after the operation, which also exceeded the median recurrence-free survival time in the existing cases worldwide.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, we recommend early radical surgery, which may be beneficial to the PMME patient.

Primary Gastric Malignant Melanoma in a 68-Year-Old Woman: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Non-cutaneous melanoma is a very rare clinical entity. Gastric melanoma can be primary or secondary, but determining their nature is in most cases very challenging. To date, very few cases of primary gastric melanoma have been described in the literature. We report the first case of primary gastric melanoma documented in a Romanian patient, confirmed through clinical, imagistic, and pathological diagnosis. A 68-year-old female patient presented to our hospital with complaints of dyspepsia, abdominal pain, and weight loss. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed two large sessile masses in the gastric fundus, which was histologically compatible with melanoma; immunohistochemistry staining was positive for vimentin, S100 protein, HMB45 antibody and Melan A/MART1, and negative for pan-CKAE1/AE3, leukocyte common antigen and DOG1. Extensive dermatological and ophthalmological examinations did not identify a primary lesion. The patient was therefore diagnosed with primary melanoma of the stomach. At the time of the diagnosis, multiple bone and pulmonary metastases were detected and considering the poor general status of the patient, surgery was not recommended. She died three months following diagnosis. A review of the literature identified only 32 other reported cases of primary gastric melanoma, all in individuals ≥50 years of age and most of them in male patients. Partial or total gastrectomy was the usual treatment of choice, but prognosis was overall poor. Awareness of this rare condition must be increased among healthcare providers, as early detection can improve survival chances.

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagogastric junction: A case report

RATIONALE

Most gastrointestinal melanomas are metastatic from an oculocutaneous primary lesion; however, primary gastrointestinal melanomas have been found in all levels of the gastrointestinal tract. We present the case of Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus and discuss the diagnostic methods, differentiation from metastatic lesions and treatment options.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 78-year-old male patient presented with fresh blood vomiting and tarry stools for 1 day.

DIAGNOSES

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy of this patient revealed a tumor ∼4 cm in size at the cardia side of the esophagogastric junction with dark-red and gray pigmentation. Immunohistochemical stains of the biopsy specimens were positive for S-100 and HMB-45, which are specific markers of melanoma.

INTERVENTIONS

Laparotomy with proximal gastrectomy was performed by the surgeon. Histological examination of the surgical specimen revealed the tumor arose from the distal esophagus with invasion of the proximal stomach. Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus was diagnosed after a full skin and ophthalmic examination and positron emission tomography, which revealed no lesions elsewhere in the body.

OUTCOMES

No tumor recurrence was noted at the 1-year follow-up.

LESSONS

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is an extremely rare but highly aggressive tumor. The special pattern of pigmentation should be recognized while performing endoscopy. Early detection and radical resection of the tumor are critical to ensure favorable outcomes.

Primary gastric melanoma in adult population: a systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Primary gastric melanoma (PGM) is a rare malignant tumour of the stomach with poor prognosis. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the available literature on this entity and to highlight its biological behaviour and preferred treatment approach.

METHODS

PubMed and Cochrane bibliographical databases were independently searched (last search: 2 February 2020) by two investigators for articles reporting on PGM in the adult population.

RESULTS

Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and concerned collectively 25 patients (18 males and seven females) with an age of 63.4 ± 8.97 years (mean ± standard deviation). Main symptoms included abdominal pain (64%), weight loss (48%) and hematemesis or melena (32%). The most frequent tumour location was the body of the stomach (54.2%). All tumours were surgically resected and the majority of the patients had a partial gastrectomy (52%). Median recurrence time was 5 months and 12% of patients reached 5-year survival landmark.

CONCLUSION

PGM is a rare disease characterized by an aggressive malignant behaviour. Its differential diagnosis from a metastatic lesion is crucial. A prompt diagnosis and therapeutic approach are needed. Further studies are required to elucidate the optimal management of this clinical entity.

Case Report: Primary melanoma of the gastroesophageal junction

Primary malignant melanoma represents the fifth most common cancer in the United States. It is subdivided into two forms: cutaneous (90%), visceral (8%, including ocular and mucosal) and of unknown primary (2%). The vast majority of gastrointestinal melanomas are secondary lesions until proven otherwise. Primary esophageal melanoma in particular is exceedingly rare, less than 200 cases have been documented in the literature to date. It is highly prevalent in Japan and occurs twice as much in men than women around the 6th decade of life. It has a predilection for the middle and lower esophagus, with only 6 cases occurring at the gastroesophageal junction worldwide. Its etiology and pathogenesis are poorly understood, and no curative treatment has been established given the paucity of cases. We present a case of primary melanoma of the gastroesophageal junction which represents the 2nd incident case in the united states and 7th worldwide.

Primary gastric melanoma: case report of a rare malignancy

We report the case of a 64-year-old white male who presented to his primary care physician with complaints of fatigue. Physical exam was unremarkable and laboratory studies revealed profound anemia, for which the patient received a transfusion. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a bleeding mass in the proximal stomach that was histologically determined to be malignant melanoma, with immunohistochemical staining demonstrating positivity for SOX10, S100, MART-1, and HMG-45. After an extensive dermatological exam no other primary lesion was identified. Whole body positron emission tomography (18-FDG-PET/CT) demonstrated pathologic uptake only in the area of the proximal stomach. For this reason, primary gastric melanoma was suspected in this patient. The patient underwent subtotal gastrectomy with mass excision followed by Roux-en-Y reconstruction. Very few cases of primary gastric melanoma have been reported. We report this case and present diagnostic criteria for primary non-cutaneous melanoma and discuss potential non-surgical therapies.