Primary malignant melanoma of the vagina.

BACKGROUND: Primary vaginal melanoma is a rare, highly malignant, and poor prognostic disease. CASE: The 51-year-old patient with diagnosis of vaginal malignant melanoma was referred to our clinic. Since detection of pervasive brown lesions in the vagina total vaginectomy was performed. At pathological investigation melanoma was not determined. Immunotherapy was administered adjuvantly. Paraaortic lymph node metastasis was seen on the ninth month after total vaginectomy and the metastatic lymph nodes were excised. Cisplatin and tremozolamide chemotherapy was administered for six cycles after surgery. The patient is alive and disease-free at 18th month of the diagnosis of the disease.
CONCLUSION: The impact of therapy on outcome of primary vaginal malign melanomas is poorly understood. Improved clinical outcomes were associated with surgical removal of gross disease whenever possible. Because of the low rate of lymph node metastasis, elective pelvic lymph node dissection is not mandatory. We presented a case of FIGO stage I primary vaginal malignant melanoma, which metastasized to the paraaortic lymph nodes 9 months after the primary operation.