TY - JOUR
T1 - Melanoma metastatic to the gallbladder and small bowel
T2 - Report of a case and review of the literature
AU - Crippa, Stefano
AU - Bovo, Giorgio
AU - Romano, Fabrizio
AU - Mussi, Chiara
AU - Uggeri, Franco
PY - 2004/10
Y1 - 2004/10
N2 - From post-mortem case records, the small bowel is the most frequent site of metastatic melanoma in the gastrointestinal (G1) tract, with gallbladder involvement occurring in 15% of cases. However, few cases have been documented in living patients and, when found, are associated with a poor prognosis. We report a case of a Caucasian man with metastatic gallbladder and small bowel melanoma from an unknown primary. He presented with diffuse abdominal pain, vomiting and progressive asthenia; subsequently, intestinal obstruction occurred. He had no past history of malignant melanoma and the primary lesion was not found. The multiple lesions, together with the absence of mucosal involvement in both the gallbladder and small bowel, led us to believe that the lesions were metastatic deposits from a probably regressed primary melanoma. It should be emphasized that surgical resection for melanoma metastatic to the G1 tract is recommended for palliative reasons and can be performed safely. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of previously reported cases of melanoma metastatic to the gallbladder and small bowel are reviewed. The differences between primary and secondary G1 tract melanomas are also discussed.
AB - From post-mortem case records, the small bowel is the most frequent site of metastatic melanoma in the gastrointestinal (G1) tract, with gallbladder involvement occurring in 15% of cases. However, few cases have been documented in living patients and, when found, are associated with a poor prognosis. We report a case of a Caucasian man with metastatic gallbladder and small bowel melanoma from an unknown primary. He presented with diffuse abdominal pain, vomiting and progressive asthenia; subsequently, intestinal obstruction occurred. He had no past history of malignant melanoma and the primary lesion was not found. The multiple lesions, together with the absence of mucosal involvement in both the gallbladder and small bowel, led us to believe that the lesions were metastatic deposits from a probably regressed primary melanoma. It should be emphasized that surgical resection for melanoma metastatic to the G1 tract is recommended for palliative reasons and can be performed safely. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of previously reported cases of melanoma metastatic to the gallbladder and small bowel are reviewed. The differences between primary and secondary G1 tract melanomas are also discussed.
KW - Gallbladder
KW - Melanoma
KW - Metastasis
KW - Small bowel
KW - Surgery
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U2 - 10.1097/00008390-200410000-00016
DO - 10.1097/00008390-200410000-00016
M3 - Article
C2 - 15457102
AN - SCOPUS:7244256228
VL - 14
SP - 427
EP - 430
JO - Melanoma Research
JF - Melanoma Research
SN - 0960-8931
IS - 5
ER -