Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus treated by endoscopic ablation and interferon therapy

Abstract

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is a rare illness accounting for 0.1-0.2% of malignant diseases of the esophagus; however, the incidence of the disease appears to be rising. The average survival time is between 10 and 15 months. The authors describe the 25 month follow up of a patient with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus which was treated with endoscopic ablation followed by interferon therapy. No other focus was found and the patient is undergoing regular endoscopic check-ups, currently without any problems.

Multiple early-stage malignant melanoma of the esophagus with long follow-up period after endoscopic treatment: report of a case

“…Local control of multiple early-stage PMME was achieved mainly by endoscopic treatment [six episodes of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for 9 lesions and seven episodes of tumor ablation therapy with argon plasma coagulation or bipolar coagulation probe for 13 lesions]. TACE, transarterial chemoembolization; DAV, dacarbazine, nimustine hydrochloride, and vincristine only in limited cases [3,[18][19][20]. Early-stage PMME can be removed technically by endoscopic treatment; however, indications for local therapy for this disease are still controversial because of the inaccurate diagnosis of the tumor area and uncertain tumor behavior.…”

Flat-type primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus

“…Therapeutic options such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy provide limited benefits, and are generally not recommended as first-line treatment options for patients with operable PMME. In contrast, there are five case reports of PMME treated with EMR 6 8 9 12 13. These were three polypoid and two flat lesions, 22.8 (5 – 50) mm in size, and all cases were stage IA according to TNM7 classification.…”

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection: A case report

“…To the best of our knowledge, only a limited number of reports have described the use of endoscopic treatment for PMME (14–16). Kastl et al previously described the implantation of a metal stent to alleviate PMME symptoms, which improved the quality of life in the patient (17).…”