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Curr Probl Cancer 2022 Jun 11;46(4):100878. Epub 2022 Jun 11.

Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

The significance of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in melanoma has been studied for a long time, but, to date, there has been insufficient research on TILs in sinonasal mucosal melanoma. The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between TILs and prognosis for Chinese patients with sinonasal mucosal melanoma, and to clarify the significance of TILs in prognosis. As a retrospective cohort study, 44 cases of malignant melanoma in head and neck mucosa were studied by immunohistochemical staining. Read More

Med Sci (Basel) 2022 May 24;10(2). Epub 2022 May 24.

National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, D09 E432 Dublin, Ireland.

Molecular and histopathological analysis of melanoma subtypes has revealed distinct epidemiological, genetic, and clinical features. However, immunotherapy for advanced metastatic melanoma patients does not differ based on subtype. Response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has been shown to vary, therefore, predictive biomarkers are needed in the design of precision treatments. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2022 Jun 16;171:161-182. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Unit of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiologic Sciences, and Public Health, "ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia", University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

Background: Over the last 2 decades, transnasal endoscopic surgery (TES) has become the most frequently employed surgical technique to treat sinonasal malignancies. The rarity and heterogeneity of sinonasal cancers have hampered large non-population-based analyses.

Methodology: All patients receiving TES-including treatment between 1995 and 2021 in 5 referral hospitals were included. Read More

JCO Precis Oncol 2022 Jun;6:e2100561

Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Laryngoscope 2022 Jun 6. Epub 2022 Jun 6.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the association of proliferation indices and pathologic biomarkers on overall and recurrence/metastasis-free survival (OS and RMFS) in patients with sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) and to assess the genetic mutational landscape of SNMM.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 45 SNMM patients without neoadjuvant therapy who underwent surgical therapy with curative intent and had tumor tissue available for histopathologic review, molecular analysis, and genetic mutational assessment. The OS and RMFS were assessed for associations with numerous tumor and patient-related factors. Read More

Ann Diagn Pathol 2022 May 18;60:151976. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Pathology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Head and Neck Molecular Diagnostic Pathology, Beijing 100730, China. Electronic address:

Background: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare tumour with a poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to identify independent predictors of outcome in SNMM and to examine the expression of PD-L1 and the relationship between expression and clinicopathological characteristics.

Methods: A total of 117 patients with SNMM were reviewed in the Department of Pathology of Beijing Tongren Hospital (115 cases) and Beijing Chuiyangliu Hospital (2 cases) from June 2007 to June 2018. Read More

Laryngoscope 2022 May 30. Epub 2022 May 30.

Head and Neck Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.

Objective: Intra-operative stimulated Raman histology (SRH) is a novel technology that uses laser spectroscopy and color-matching algorithms to create images similar to the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) section. We aim to assess the accuracy of SRH in a novel range of sinonasal and skull base tumors.

Methods: Select patients undergoing sinonasal and skull base surgery using the Invenio Imaging™ Nio™ Laser Imaging SRH system between June 2020 and September 2021 were assessed. Read More

Laryngoscope 2022 May 13. Epub 2022 May 13.

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Objectives: Mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare malignancy that can present in the head and neck (H&N). The Oral cavity is the second most common primary site in the H&N after sinonasal mucosa. This study investigates the impact of demographic and clinical factors on survival in oral cavity MM. Read More

Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am 2022 May 8;34(2):299-314. Epub 2022 Apr 8.

Head and Neck Unit, The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK; Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, Targeted Therapy Team, The Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, United Kingdom.

Head and neck mucosal melanomas are uncommon and aggressive malignancies that arise mainly in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, with the next commonest site being the oral cavity. The mainstay of treatment is radical surgical resection. Adjuvant radiotherapy improves locoregional control but does not improve overall survival. Read More

Br J Hosp Med (Lond) 2022 03 31;83(3). Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Chengdu First People's Hospital, Chengdu, China.

Front Oncol 2022 18;12:853076. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States.

Purpose: Evaluate incidence of second primary malignancies (SPM) after non-acral cutaneous melanoma (NACM), acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), mucosal melanoma (MM), and uveal melanoma (UM).

Patients And Methods: First primary NACM, ALM, MM, and UM cases diagnosed 2000-2016 were extracted from SEER. Seer*Stat was used to calculate excess absolute risks (EAR) and standardized incidence ratios (SIR) of SPMs relative to a matched cohort from the general population. Read More

Cureus 2022 Feb 21;14(2):e22442. Epub 2022 Feb 21.

Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences (UM6SS), Casablanca, MAR.

Sinonasal malignant melanoma is a rare but aggressive tumor of the head and neck area. It has a poor prognosis. Common symptoms are nasal obstruction, epistaxis, or purulent rhinorrhea. Read More

Am J Dermatopathol 2022 Jun 22;44(6):424-432. Epub 2022 Mar 22.

Pathology Service, Dermatopathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Abstract: Primary sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is an aggressive tumor with high metastatic potential and poor outcomes. Presenting symptoms are nonspecific, and the nasal cavity is the most common site of origin followed by the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses. Histopathologically, SNMMs are pleomorphic and predominantly composed of epithelioid cell type. Read More

Head Neck Pathol 2022 Mar 21;16(1):110-122. Epub 2022 Mar 21.

Department of Pathology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.

The changes made in the fifth edition of the WHO Classification of Head and Neck Tumors demonstrate the recent diagnostic, histopathological, and molecular advances in the field, and this updated information will hopefully lead to improved and standardized tumor subtyping. This review summarizes the changes related tumors and tumor-like lesions of the neck and lymph nodes (Chapter 11), metastasis to the head and neck region (Chapter 15), and melanocytic tumors (Chapter 10). Read More

Int J Gen Med 2022 10;15:2759-2771. Epub 2022 Mar 10.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University/Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518000, People's Republic of China.

Background: Accurate forecasting of the risk of death is crucial for people living with head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM). We aimed to establish and validate an effective prognostic nomogram for HNMM.

Methods: Patients with HNMM who underwent surgery between 2010 and 2015 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for model construction. Read More

J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2022 03;20(3):224-234

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The NCCN Guidelines for Head and Neck Cancers address tumors arising in the oral cavity (including mucosal lip), pharynx, larynx, and paranasal sinuses. Occult primary cancer, salivary gland cancer, and mucosal melanoma (MM) are also addressed. The specific site of disease, stage, and pathologic findings guide treatment (eg, the appropriate surgical procedure, radiation targets, dose and fractionation of radiation, indications for systemic therapy). Read More

Head Neck Pathol 2022 Mar 7. Epub 2022 Mar 7.

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1215 21st Avenue South, 7209 Medical Center East South Tower, 37232-8605, Nashville, TN, United States.

Mucosal melanoma is a rare subtype of melanoma that accounts for 1% of all melanomas. The incidence of nasal mucosal melanomas is 0.3 per million. Read More

Mol Diagn Ther 2022 03 23;26(2):189-202. Epub 2022 Feb 23.

Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, EA 7509: Immune Dysregulation and Tissue Remodelling in Cancer, Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases, Reims, France.

Background: Primary mucosal melanomas (PMMs) are rare and clinically heterogeneous, including head and neck (HNMs), vulvovaginal (VVMs), conjunctival (CjMs), anorectal (ARMs) and penile (PMs) melanomas. While the prognosis of advanced cutaneous melanoma has noticeably improved using treatments with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and molecules targeting BRAF and MEK, few advances have been made for PMMs because of their poorer response to ICIs and their different genetic profile. This prompted us to conduct a systematic review of molecular studies of PMMs to clarify their pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Feb 3;14(3). Epub 2022 Feb 3.

Research Group on Descriptive Epidemiology, Genetics and Cancer Prevention, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), 17190 Girona, Spain.

Background: Mucosal melanoma is a rare neoplasm on which few epidemiological population-based studies have been published. A good surgical approach is the standard treatment, but the prognosis is worse than that of skin melanoma. The analysis of mucosal melanoma's mutational profile can help to develop target therapies in advanced disease or adjuvant settings. Read More

J Surg Case Rep 2022 Feb 9;2022(2):rjac022. Epub 2022 Feb 9.

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, UK.

Primary mucosal melanoma of the tonsil is rare, with 27 reported cases. Careful diagnosis is necessary, as the tonsil is more often a site of metastatic melanoma from a cutaneous primary tumour. In this report, we present a case of primary right tonsillar mucosal melanoma with widespread metastasis in a 31-year-old man who presented with a 3-month history of enlarging neck lumps. Read More

Cureus 2021 Dec 30;13(12):e20819. Epub 2021 Dec 30.

Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, GRC.

Sinonasal mucosa is an area of high melanocyte density compared to other mucosa-lined sites. Sinonasal mucosal melanomas (SNMM) most commonly arise from the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses. Due to their obscure anatomic location and lack of early symptomatology, SNMM are often diagnosed in an advanced stage. Read More

Acta Oncol 2022 Jun 9;61(6):672-679. Epub 2022 Feb 9.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France.

Several reports have suggested that radiotherapy after reconstructive surgery for head and neck cancer (HNC), could have deleterious effects on the flaps with respect to functional outcomes. To predict and prevent toxicities, flap delineation should be accurate and reproducible. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the interobserver variability of frequent types of flaps used in HNC, based on the recent GORTEC atlas. Read More

J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg 2022 Feb 5. Epub 2022 Feb 5.

University Lille, CHU Lille, INSERM, Service de Chirurgie Maxillo-Faciale et Stomatologie, U1008 - Controlled Drug Delivery Systems and Biomaterial, Lille F-59000, France.

Oral mucosal melanoma (OMM) is the subject of few studies, resulting in a lack of understanding. The aim of this study is to review the current literature on OMM. The term searched was "oral mucosal melanoma" between 01/01/2000 and 03/15/2021 in the PubMed Database (MEDLINE). Read More

Cureus 2021 Dec 27;13(12):e20759. Epub 2021 Dec 27.

Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, USA.

Retroperitoneal hematomas are a rare and fatal complication of endovascular embolization. We report a case of an 89-year-old woman who was referred to interventional radiology for percutaneous embolization for intractable epistaxis as a result of a left nasal cavity mucosal melanoma. After successful embolization of the left sphenopalatine artery, the patient became hypotensive and was transferred to the intensive care unit. Read More

Curr Oncol Rep 2022 01 20;24(1):55-67. Epub 2022 Jan 20.

Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi, Via Guicciardini 9, 21100, Varese, Italy.

Purpose Of Review: Sinonasal tumors are rare and heterogeneous diseases which pose challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Despite significant progress made in surgical, oncological, and radiotherapy fields, their prognosis still remains poor. Therefore, alternative strategies should be studied in order to refine diagnosis and improve patient care. Read More

Biology (Basel) 2021 Dec 31;11(1). Epub 2021 Dec 31.

Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Companion animals with naturally occurring cancers can provide an advantageous model for cancer research and in particular anticancer drug development. Compared to commonly utilized mouse models, companion animals, specifically dogs and cats, share a closer phylogenetical distance, body size, and genome organization. Most importantly, pets develop spontaneous, rather than artificially induced, cancers. Read More

J Neurol Surg Rep 2022 Jan 10;83(1):e1-e2. Epub 2022 Jan 10.

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, United States.

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma is a rare and aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. Surgical resection with clear margins, when possible, remains the treatment of choice. Radiation therapy is generally used in the adjuvant setting with improved rates of local control following complete resection. Read More

Histopathology 2022 Jan;80(1):135-149

Division of Pathology, Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Edinburgh, UK.

Primary cutaneous and mucosal melanoma shows a wide histological spectrum. The correct diagnosis depends upon the demonstration of melanocytic differentiation by recognition of an associated in-situ component or immunohistochemical evidence of a melanocytic phenotype using conventional melanocytic markers, such as S-100, SOX10, Melan-A and HMB-45. Exceptionally, melanomas lose their melanocytic phenotype, at least focally, and show differentiation towards other lineages. Read More

Acta Otolaryngol 2022 Jan 26;142(1):94-99. Epub 2021 Dec 26.

Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Background: Mucosal melanoma is the second most common subtype of melanoma in China and head and neck region is one of the main sites of this disease.

Aims/objectives: Analyzed the phenotypes of C-Kit, NRAS, PDGFRA and BRAF genes in patients with in different locations to explore the characteristics of gene mutations.

Material And Methods: 96 patients were included in this study. Read More

Cancer Radiother 2022 Feb-Apr;26(1-2):156-167. Epub 2021 Dec 22.

Département de radiothérapie, centre François-Baclesse, 3, avenue Général-Harris, 14000 Caen, France; Réseau d'expertise français sur les cancers ORL rares (Refcor), 75000 Paris, France; Groupe d'oncologie radiothérapie des cancers de la tête et du cou (Gortec), 37000 Tours, France. Electronic address:

We present the update of the recommendations of the French society of radiotherapy and oncology on the indications and the technical methods of carrying out radiotherapy of sinonasal cancers. Sinonasal cancers (nasal fossae and sinus) account for 3 to 5% of all cancers of the head and neck. They include carcinomas, mucosal melanomas, sarcomas and lymphomas. Read More