Abstract

CARDENA, Rakel, YEP -GAMARRA, Victor, DONET-MOSTACERO, Jean et al. Primary melanoma of the esophagus. Rev. gastroenterol. Perú, July/Sep. 2012, vol.32, no.3, p.303-308. ISSN 1022-5129.

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is a rare, aggressive and poor-prognostic neoplasm, usually detected in late stages. Surgery (esophagectomy) is the treatment of choice when operable and the only factor that improves the disease prognosis is the detection of the lesions in early stages and the recognition of non-typical lesions. Most commonly, Melanoma lesions appear as large masses with proliferative, ulcerated and pigmented aspect. We report a clinical case whose endoscopic presentation was an elevated, protruding and sessile lesion (Paris Classification Type 0- Is), amelanocytic, size of 4mm, smooth surface, pink and with regular borders (mucosa of tumor with a normal esophagic mucosa appearance). This lesion initially could not be identified because the patient was admitted due to upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by peptic esophagitis Grade D according to Los Angeles Classification. After histological analysis and immunohistochemistry of the lesion, melanoma was diagnosed. No skin, mucous or ocular lesions were found and multislice spiral computed tomography of thorax and abdomen did not show any metastasis.

Keywords: Primary Melanoma; esophagus; amelanocytic protruding sessile lesions (Type 0-Is).