Adrenal Gland and Gastric Malignant Melanoma without Evidence of Skin Lesion Treated with the Oncolytic Virus Rigvir

Abstract

Adrenal gland melanoma is an extremely rare diagnosis with less than 20 cases reported. The criteria for diagnosing adrenal gland melanoma include involvement of only one adrenal gland, presence of melanin pigment in the histological examination of the tumor tissue, no primary melanoma tumor in any other organ, and no history of resection of pigmented lesions. However, it is complicated to rule out melanoma of unknown primary origin. Here we report a female patient who at the age of 75 years was admitted to hospital due to suspicion of adrenal and gastric tumor. The largest tumor was found in the adrenal gland, thus leading to the diagnosis of primary adrenal gland melanoma presenting metastases in the stomach. The melanoma was BRAF wild type. Due to the rarity of this disease, there is no standard treatment. After two subsequent surgeries, treatment with the ECHO-7 oncolytic virus Rigvir was started. The patient has received oncolytic virotherapy for 5 years and 1 month and has been stable since then with good tolerability. The therapy is still ongoing. Adrenal gland melanoma is an extremely rare diagnosis and therefore it is important to discuss the diagnostic criteria and possible treatments.