Pleural effusion as the initial manifestation of metastatic melanoma: a case report and literature review

Abstract

Background: Malignant melanoma (MM) is a highly invasive form of skin cancer with poor prognosis. Pleural metastatic melanoma is rare, with only a few reported cases.Case presentation: A 47-year-old woman with a medical history of right heel melanoma was diagnosed with left-sided pleural effusion, with pleural thickening and calcified mediastinal lymph nodes, using chest computed tomography (CT). A video-assisted thoracoscopic biopsy was performed which revealed numerous pink lumps arising from the parietal pleura and viscera along the diaphragmatic surface. The pathological diagnosis was pleural metastatic melanoma and the tumor cells were immunocytochemically positive for S100, SOX10, and Melan-A.Conclusions: The clinical manifestations of metastatic pleural melanoma are nonspecific. Pleural effusion cytology combined with thoracoscopy is an effective diagnostic method. The presence of melanocytes has improved the diagnosis of this condition.