Korean J Helicobacter Up Gastrointest Res.  2015 Jun;15(2):127-131. 10.7704/kjhugr.2015.15.2.127.

Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Esophagus Treated by Early Diagnosis and Surgical Resection

• Lee J
• Kim JY
• Bae JY
• Kim JY
• Choi JE
• Jang J
• Tae CH
• Shim KN

• KMID: 2249862
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7704/kjhugr.2015.15.2.127

Abstract

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is an extremely rare disease and accounts for approximately 0.1~0.2% of all esophageal malignancies. It is also a very aggressive disease with 5 year survival rates ranging from 2.2% to 37.5%. A 51-year-old woman with no previous medical history visited the hospital complaining of mild epigastric discomfort and belching. Endoscopy revealed a dark pigmented, polypoid lesion which was later diagnosed as primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus. Here we report a case of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus that was diagnosed in a very early phase and successfully resected with an Ivor-Lewis procedure.

Keyword

Melanoma; Esophagectomy; Esophagus

MeSH Terms

Early Diagnosis*
Endoscopy
Eructation
Esophagectomy
Esophagus*
Female
Humans
Melanoma*
Middle Aged
Rare Diseases
Survival Rate