A case report of a rare disease: primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus

The case of 69 year-old caucasean woman with a primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is described. She came to us with a 12-month history of digestive symptoms and was submitted to a near-total esophageal resection, followed by a cervical esophago-gastric anastomosis. The pathological study of the surgical specimen revealed an esophageal melanoma having foci of "junctional activity" involving the entire esophagus. The tumor invaded but did not extend beyond the muscularis propria. All lymph nodes were without metastases, but lymphatic invasion was present. Two courses of chemotherapy with DTIC, Cisplatinum, BCNU and Tamoxifen and later with Interferon and Carboplatin were tried. She died 2 years and 2 months after surgery.