Background: Primary melanoma of the esophagus is a very rare and aggressive neoplasm; only a small number of patients survive more than 1 year after initial diagnosis.
Case report: We describe a case of primary melanoma of the esophagus in a woman with a history of invasive breast cancer. The patient suffered from dysphagic and dyspeptic disorders. The abdomen ultrasonography and the esophagogastroscopy showed a lesion located at the esophago-gastric junction extending to the gastric fundus. Histological and immunohistochemical studies revealed a primary esophageal infiltrating melanoma. A total gastrectomy and regional lymphadenectomy with a partial resection of the distal esophagus was performed.
Results: During laparotomic exploration, numerous dark lymp hnodes were found. On frozen sections, surprisingly neither malignant cells nor melanin were detected in the lymph nodes. Resection margins were not involved with the tumor.
Conclusion: Patient is still alive with no evidence of recurrence at 24 months after surgical treatment, alone.