[Diagnosis of intestinal metastases from malignant melanoma]

A rare acute abdomen cause: intestinal perforation and invagination secondary to malignant melanoma metastasis

Malignant melanoma (MM) is a tumor with high metastatic potential. The small intestine is the third most common metastasis area for MM. Intestinal obstruction, intussusception, hemorrhage, and perforation have been determined as the clinical presentation in patients who were admitted to the hospital because of abdominal pain, weakness, constipation, weight loss, and palpable abdominal mass. Presentation as perforation is rarer than the other clinical presentations. We report the case of a patient with metastatic MM, who attended the emergency department because of acute abdomen. Perforation and invagination due to metastatic lesions were cured by surgical intervention. Possible metastasis should be considered in patients with active complaints or in patients scheduled for emergency intervention, as in our case, if there is a history of MM. Possible metastasis should be considered in preoperative planning, information, and anticipation of the operative procedure.

A secondary jejunal malignant melanoma from nasal mucosal melanoma: Case report

Melanomas most commonly localized in the skin can arise anywhere in the body, and approximately 5% of all melanomas appear in other sites of mucosal surfaces out of skin. Primary melanoma from nasal mucosa is quite rare. We present this case: a 46-year-old man had complained a pain in the left upper abdomen for 2 months when he was admitted to the Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital. The pain was paroxysmal and enhanced when eating. There was no nausea, vomiting, or anorexia. There had been no change in weight in previous months. This patient had a past history of surgery for nasal mucosal malignant melanoma 2 years ago. Abdominal enhanced computed tomography (CT) indicated that a mass originated from small bowel and occupied the left upper abdomen. The patient underwent a laparotomy during which a black lesion measuring about 5 cm × 5 cm × 4 cm was found at the jejunum and resected totally together with partial jejunum. The patient was eventually diagnosed as secondary jejunal malignant melanoma from nasal mucosal melanoma. For patients with a history of melanoma, gastrointestinal metastasis should be considered when patients develop gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition, we recommend positive anti-tumor therapy after surgery.

Gastrointestinal involvement of primary skin diseases

Less is known about gastrointestinal (GI) involvement of primary skin diseases due to the difference in embryology, histology, microbiology and physiology between integument and alimentary tract. Oesophagus, following the oropharyngeal mucosa, is the most common GI segment affected by primary skin diseases, especially by eosinophilic oesophagitis, lichen planus and autoimmune bullous dermatoses like pemphigus vulgaris, mucosal membrane pemphigoid and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita. Eosinophilic oesophagitis is an emerging chronic atopic disease with oesophageal dysfunction as the typical presentation, and oesophageal narrowing, rings and stricture as late complications. Oesophageal lichen planus mainly involves the proximal to mid-oesophagus in elderly aged women with long-term oral mucosal lesions. In acute attack of pemphigus vulgaris, oesophageal involvement is not uncommon but often neglected and may cause sloughing oesophagitis (oesophagitis dissecans superficialis) with acute GI bleeding in rare cases. GI manifestation of hereditary bradykininergic angio-oedema with colicky acute abdomen mostly affects small intestine, usually in the absence of pruritus or urticaria, and is more severe and long-lasting than the acquired histaminergic form. Strong evidence supports association between inflammatory bowel disease, especially Crohn disease, and hidradenitis suppurativa/acne inversa. Patients with vitiligo need surveillance of autoimmune liver disease, autoimmune atrophic gastritis or coeliac disease when corresponding symptoms become suspect. Melanoma is the most common primary tumour metastatic to the GI tract, with small intestine predominantly targeted. Gastrointestinal involvement is not uncommon in disseminated mycosis fungoides. Extramammary Paget's disease is an intraepidermal adenocarcinoma of controversial origin, and a high association between the anogenital occurrence and colorectal adenocarcinoma has been reported. As GI tract is the largest organ system with multidimensional functions, dermatologists in daily practice should be aware of the gastrointestinal morbidities related to primary skin diseases for an early diagnosis and treatment.

Malignant melanoma of the ileo-anal pouch anastomosis after restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis: report of a case

A 62 year-old patient with therapy-refractory pouchitis after proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis was admitted with hematochezia and abdominal discomfort. A malignant melanoma (MM) was found after repeated biopsies of the pouch. Complete staging revealed no evidence for distant metastases and the patient underwent abdominoperineal pouch resection. Six weeks later, the patient was readmitted because of severe general deterioration and diffuse metastatic spread to the liver was found. The patient died of hepatorenal syndrome shortly thereafter.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at increased risk of developing cancer, including rarities such as MM. Our experience stresses the importance of repeated biopsies in therapy-refractory pouchitis.

A patient presenting with acute abdomen due to metastatic small bowel melanoma: a case report

Introduction

Malignant tumors of the small bowel are rare. Melanoma of the small intestine is in most cases metastatic from a primary skin lesion. Perforation of small bowel melanoma is an extremely rare entity. To the best of our knowledge this is the fifth case published to date.

Case presentation

We report a rare case of acute abdomen due to perforated metastatic small bowel melanoma in a 38-year-old Caucasian man.

Conclusions

In the majority of cases small bowel melanoma represents metastasis from cutaneous sites. Although rare, the possibility of abdominal metastatic melanoma presenting with the clinical picture of acute abdomen must be always considered by the operating surgeon in patients with a history of primary cutaneous malignant lesion.