The pathology of head and neck tumors: Mucosal melanomas, part 13

Abstract

Pigmented lesions, including melanomas, of the mucous membranes of the head and neck are far outnumbered by their counterparts in the skin. This relative dearth is partially responsible for the fact that scientific inquiry into mucosal melanomas has not kept pace with the advances in knowledge of the pathogenesis of cutaneous melanomas and their diagnosis and treatment. Integral to these latter advances have been the refinements in clinical and histologic classification and clinicopathologic correlations with quantitative evaluation of melanomas of skin-enhancements that up to now have been singularly lacking for mucosal melanomas. This report acknowledges this slowness in progress, present recommendations for purifying the nomenclature of pigmented lesions of the mucosae, and at the same time, also notes the poorer prognosis for melanomas of the upper aerodigestive tracts, as a group, when compared with cutaneous melanomas. Only prospective studies will answer the question of whether the poor prognosis is intrinsic to these mucosal melanomas or whether delay in detection and removal are responsible.

MR Imaging Features of Primary Mucosal Melanoma of the Eustachian Tube: Report of 2 Cases

“…6 The highest incidence occurs between the fifth and seventh decades of life, with a slight predilection in men. 2 In the nasopharyngeal cavity, the most common clinical manifestations are intermittent epistaxis and hearing impairment.…”

“…In a series of 158 cases of mucosal melanoma of the upper airway, only 2 cases were located at the eustachian tube orifice in the nasopharynx. 2 To the best of our knowledge, only 6 cases of primary melanoma of the eustachian tube have been reported in the literature to date [2][3][4][5] ; unfortunately, the corresponding MR imaging findings were not described effectively. During the past 5 years, melanoma of the eustachian tube in the nasopharynx has been positively proved through histopathology in 2 patients at our hospital.…”

Malignant mucosal melanoma of the head and neck — a review

“…These melanomas occur mainly in the upper respiratory tract (56%) and oral cavity (44%). 6 Within the oral cavity, the most common site is the hard palate (up to 80%), followed in decreasing frequency by the upper and lower gingiva and bucca ( Figure 2 ). Mucosal melanomas in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are very rare, 40 and they are extremely seldom found in pharyngeal, laryngeal or oesophageal locations.…”

Head and Neck: Primary oral mucosal melanoma

“…Sun exposure is not related to its genesis. However, ethnicity, family history, syndromes and preexisting lesions may influence its development (Batsakis et al, 1982;Lopez et al, in press;Warszawik-Hendzel et al, 2014).…”