IMR Press / EJGO / Volume 31 / Issue 1 / pii/1630984345103-2036295493

European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology (EJGO) is published by IMR Press from Volume 40 Issue 1 (2019). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.

Case Report
Choroidal melanoma metastasized to the ovary: case report and review of the literature
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1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova di Reggio Emilia, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy)
2 Division of Gynecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana
3 Pathology Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Eur. J. Gynaecol. Oncol. 2010, 31(1), 109–113;
Published: 10 February 2010
Abstract

Background: Malignant melanoma metastases to the female genital tract in only 2.5% of cases. Melanoma is characterized by clinical variability and unpredictable biological behavior with long remissions and relapses that develop rapidly. Case and review: A 57- year-old woman was admitted for hypogastric pain and weight loss. She had presented enucleation of the right eye six years before for malignant choroid melanoma. Gynaecological examination revealed enlarged ovaries. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, hysterectomy, and omentectomy were performed. Final pathology diagnosed a choroidal metastatic melanoma (CMM). The patient died seven months later. Only seven cases of CMM have been reported in the literature. Patients affected by CMM ranged in age from 38 to 83 years (median 51.2 years), the time to relapse ranged from 3-25 years (median 51.2 years), the size of the cysts ranged from 4- 17 cm (median 9.7 cm) and the survival period ranged from 2-14 months (median 8.1 months). Conclusion: Malignant melanoma is misdiagnosed because of lack of discriminatory symptoms, increased tumor markers, characteristic imaging findings and the capacity to mimic other tumors. Today CMM still represents a challenge for gynecologic oncologists.
Keywords
Choroidal melanoma
Ovary
Metastasis
Diagnosis
Staging
Treatment
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