Oral Mucosal Amelanotic Melanoma: A Rare Case Report.

ABSTRACT

Oral cancer is a major global health problem. It is ranked as the third most common cancer in India. More than 95% of oral cavity carcinomas are of squamous cell type. Melanoma is a major health problem and originates from the malignant transformation of melanocytes. Primary mucosal melanomas of the head and neck occur less frequently than their cutaneous counterparts. Among those, oral mucosal melanoma is extremely infrequent with an incidence of 0.5% of oral neoplasms. Less than 2% of all melanomas lack pigmentation, in the oral mucosa, however, up to 75% of cases are amelanotic melanomas. Th ese are extremely rare variants and the most frequent sites in the oral cavity are the hard palate and the gingiva. Lesions that are suspected to be melanomas should be assessed both histologically and by immunohistochemistry, which are helpful in the diagnosis of amelanotic melanoma. Th ey have a poorer prognosis than the pigmented melanomas because of the delay in diagnosis and in the initiation of treatment. Th is presentation is a rare case report of oral mucosal amelanotic melanoma.