Mucosal melanomas of the upper aerodigestive tract.

ABSTRACT

Mucosal melanoma of the upper aerodigestive tract is a rare disease with a relentless inexorable course. This lesion involved the nasal cavity, maxillary sinus and palate in two cases each all of whom underwent a radical excision. The disease did not respond to radiotherapy in two patients with nasopharyngeal involvement. One other patient died of distant metastasis within five weeks of diagnosis. Despite surgery offering variable disease free periods, the prognosis remains guarded.