We report a case of primary melanoma of the larynx in a patient who died of disseminated disease 13 months later. It is a rare malignant tumor in the head and neck, accounting for 0.4-10% of all melanomas of this site. Histologically, the presence of in situ changes within the laryngeal mucosa strongly supports our diagnosis of primary melanoma of the larynx.
AllenA.C., SpitzS.: Malignant melanoma, a clinicopathological analysis of criteria for diagnosis and prognosis. Cancer, 6: 1–45, 1953.
2.
BatsakisJ.G.: Tumors of the Head and Neck. pp. 437–442, Williams & Wilkins, London, 2nd edn. 1982.
3.
BatsakisJ.G., LunaM.A., ByersR.M.: Metastases to the larynx. Head Neck Surg., 7: 458–460, 1985.
4.
BerthelsenA., AndersenA.P., Skov JensenT., HansenH.S.: Melanomas of the mucosa in the oral cavity and the upper respiratory passages. Cancer, 54: 907–912, 1984.
5.
BlatchfordS.J., KoopmanC.F., CoulthardS.W.: Mucosal melanoma of the head and neck. Laryngoscope, 96: 929–934, 1986.
6.
BusutillA.: Dedritic pigmented cells within human laryngeal mucosa. Arch. Otolaryngol., 102: 43–44, 1976.
7.
ConleyJ., PackG.T.: Melanoma of the mucous membranes of the head and neck. Arch. Otolaryngol., 99: 315–319, 1974.
8.
CurtissC., KosinskiA.A.: Primary melanoma of the larynx. Report of a case and review of the literature. Cancer, 8: 961–963, 1955.
9.
EnerothC.M., LundbergC.: Mucosal malignant melanoma of the head and neck. Acta Otolaryngol., 80: 452–458, 1975.
GazeM.N., KerrG.R., SmythJ.F.: Mucosal melanomas of the head and neck: The Scottish experience. Clin. Oncol., 2: 277–283, 1990.
12.
GoldmanJ.L., LawsonW., ZakF.G., RoffmanJ.D.: The presence of melanocytes in the human larynx. Laryngoscope, 82: 824–835, 1972.
13.
GuzzoM., GrandiC., LicitraL., PodreccaS., CascinelliN., MolinariR.: Mucosal malignant melanoma of head and neck: forty-eight cases treated at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan. Eur. J. Surg. Oncol., 19: 316–319, 1993.
14.
HendersonL.T., RobbinT.K., WeitznerS.: Upper aerodigestive tract metastases in disseminated malignant melanoma. Arch. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg., 112: 659–663, 1986.
15.
HussainS.S.M., WhiteheadE.: Malignant melanoma of the larynx. J. Laryngol. Otol., 103: 533–536, 1989.
