Korean J Gastrointest Endosc.  2004 Feb;28(2):71-75.

Two Cases of Endoscopically Diagnosed Gastric Metastatic Malignant Melanoma of Unknown Origin

• Ryu JS
• Oh HJ
• Hu JW
• Kim JY
• Lee JY
• Yun BC
• Park MI
• Park SJ
• Chang HK
• Koo JY

Abstract

Although malignant melanoma involving the stomach is commonly mentioned in association with autopsies, endoscopic experience in this gastric malignancy is still limited, and few cases have been illustrated in the literature. This clinical condition is even rarer in Asians who are much less vulnerable to malignant melanoma than Caucasians. We experienced two cases of gastric metastases of malignant melanoma which presented as indigestion and epigastric pain. In the first case, a 75-year-old man visited because of indigestion persisting for 2 months. He had a history of multiple gastric ulcer and was treated at a local medical center, but symptoms did not improved. Endoscopic finding revealed multiple and elevated lesions with central black pigmented bases. In the second case, a 47-year-old man visited because of epigastric soreness and intermittent pain for 1 month. Metastatic melanoma in the stomach was noticed by endoscopic examination. Both patients had multiple metastatic lesions in the liver, thyroid, and brain. These two cases were diagnosed as having metastatic malignant melanoma in the stomach of unknown origin. Therefore, we report these cases with a brief review of the related literature.

Keyword

Malignant melanoma; Gastric metastasis

MeSH Terms

Aged
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Autopsy
Brain
Dyspepsia
Humans
Liver
Melanoma*
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Metastasis
Stomach
Stomach Ulcer
Thyroid Gland