Recurrent vulvar melanoma in a patient with neurofibromatosis and gastrointestinal stromal tumour

BMJ Case Rep. 2019 Jan 20;12(1):e224744. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2018-224744.

Abstract

We report a case of a 51-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis who presented in 2012 with postmenopausal bleeding. Excision biopsy of a pigmented lesion of the labia minora was consistent with an ulcerated vulvar BRAF wild type malignant melanoma (MM). Initial excision was followed by radical vulvectomy and adjuvant interferon. Local recurrence in January 2017 was further resected. Positron emission tomography (PET)-CT in May 2017 identified an FDG avid omental deposit; consistent histologically with MM when resected. Postoperative PET-CT in August 2017 demonstrated local recurrence. In the setting of resected stage IV disease and a third local recurrence, the decision was made to instigate immunotherapy. Vulvar melanoma is rare accounting for 0.2% of all melanoma. Presentation is typically a decade later than cutaneous melanoma with a tendency to late metastases and poorer prognosis. Given their rarity the treatment paradigm is less clearly defined and largely extrapolated from that of cutaneous melanomas.

Keywords: dermatology; skin cancer; small intestine cancer.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Female
  • Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / diagnostic imaging*
  • Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / drug therapy
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Melanoma / diagnostic imaging*
  • Melanoma / drug therapy
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / diagnostic imaging*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / drug therapy
  • Neurofibromatoses / diagnostic imaging*
  • Neurofibromatoses / drug therapy
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Vulvar Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Vulvar Neoplasms / drug therapy