Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2019 Mar 26. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Attending, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL.

Purpose: To describe and discuss the demographic and clinical features of oral melanomas, which are relatively rare but deadly neoplasms, and list the criteria for their diagnosis to increase early detection.

Materials And Methods: An institutional review board-approved retrospective search of oral melanomas was performed in the archives of the University of Florida Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Biopsy Service (Gainesville, FL) from 2015 through 2018. Exclusion criteria included cases with inconclusive diagnosis, skin involvement, and missing clinical data or slide material. Read More

Clin Cancer Res 2019 Apr 5. Epub 2019 Apr 5.

Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Detailed molecular characterization of a large cohort of mucosal melanomas, most arising from head and neck primaries, suggests that chromosomal translocations and other complex rearrangements have prognostic importance. CDK4 amplification is a frequent event in these rare tumors, and CDK4/6 inhibition may represent a rational clinical trial strategy. Read More

J Oral Pathol Med 2019 Mar 27. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Department of Oral Diagnosis, Area of Pathology, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.

Background: Head and neck mucosal melanomas (MMs) are rare tumors with adverse outcomes and poorer prognoses than their more common cutaneous counterparts (cutaneous melanomas-CMs). Few studies have compared the expression of mitochondrial dynamic markers in these tumors. This study aimed to assess the correlations of mitochondrial markers with melanoma progression and their potential as predictors of lymph node involvement and distant metastasis. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Mar 20;12(3). Epub 2019 Mar 20.

Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK.

A well 74 -year-old woman presented to routine ophthalmology clinic instituted following treatment of a frontoethmoidal sarcoma initially excised in 1989 and diagnosed then as a sinus mucosal melanoma. At review in ophthalmology clinic, a reduction in right visual fields was noted. CT scan showed recurrence of a mass now involving the frontoethmoidal region, frontal sinus and abutting the cribiform plate. Read More

Cancer Genet 2019 Feb 9;231-232:46-53. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Research and Development, Division, SRL Ltd, Plot no.1, Prime Square building, S.V.Road, Goregaon (W), Mumbai, India. Electronic address:

Mutations in the BRAF gene have been described to occur in two-third of melanomas. The objective of the study was to establish the frequency of BRAF V600E/K/R mutation in a series of melanomas from Indian origin and to correlate mutation status with clinicopathological features. Seventy melanoma cases were evaluated for BRAF V600 mutation by pyrosequencing. Read More

Anticancer Drugs 2019 Mar;30(3):308-312

Departments of Head and Neck and Sarcoma Oncology.

Undifferentiated sinonasal carcinoma (SNUC) is defined as a small round blue cell tumor that is immunohistochemically distinct from other sinonasal malignancies, such as lymphoma, mucosal melanoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, and olfactory neuroblastoma. SNUCs are very aggressive malignancies, provoking quick destruction of the splanchnocranium structures. Being a very rare neoplasm, there are no prospective clinical trials assessing their treatment strategies, so lots of data are derived by small retrospective trials. Read More

South Asian J Cancer 2019 Jan-Mar;8(1):26

Department of Radiotherapy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.

Head Neck Pathol 2019 Mar 29;13(1):56-70. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Section of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Ave, MC-0925, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.

Black and brown-colored mucocutaneous lesions present a differential diagnostic challenge, with malignant melanoma being the primary clinical concern. The vast majority of pigmented lesions in the head and neck region are the result of benign, reactive factors such as post-inflammatory melanosis. However, it is not uncommon to discover a range of muco-cutaneous black and brown neoplasms in the oro-facial area. Read More

Head Neck 2019 Jan 24. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Hospital of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan.

Background: This study evaluated carbon-ion radiotherapy (C-ion RT) for oral non-squamous cell carcinomas (non-SCC).

Methods: We retrospectively obtained data from 74 patients who underwent C-ion RT for oral malignancies between April 1997 and March 2016. The C-ion RT was administered in 16 fractions at a total dose of 57. Read More

Oncotarget 2018 Dec 18;9(99):37291-37304. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Department of Oral Diagnosis, Area of Pathology, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.

Melanomas are highly aggressive tumours derived from melanocytes, which occur most commonly in the skin. Occasionally, these tumours may appear in oral and sinonasal mucous membranes. In this study, we performed a comparative analysis of the Phosphorylated Akt1 (p-Akt1) expression in 144 patients affected by cutaneous (CM), 34 oral cavity (OM), and 31 sinonasal melanomas (SNM). Read More

Am J Rhinol Allergy 2019 Mar 7;33(2):162-169. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

1 Caruso Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.

Background: Open resection (OR) of sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNM) traditionally has been the gold standard for treatment. However, endoscopic resection (ER) has recently become a surgical alternative. The aim of this study was to compare survival outcomes between OR and ER of SNM. Read More

Cancer Manag Res 2018 14;10:6985-6996. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China,

Background: There still remains no well-established treatment strategy for head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM). We aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of primary surgery with postoperative radiotherapy for this disease.

Patients And Methods: A single-arm, Phase II clinical trial was conducted at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2018 Dec 23;12(1):388. Epub 2018 Dec 23.

Biotherapy Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshe East Road, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.

Background: Mucosal melanoma of the head and neck is a rare malignant tumor associated with a poor prognosis. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and biotherapy are common strategies for treating mucosal melanoma of the head and neck. Episcleritis is an idiopathic, immune-mediated disease, and is classified into two types: simple episcleritis and nodular episcleritis. Read More

Lin Chung Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2018 Jul;32(14):1078-1081

Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100010, China.

To analyze the characteristics and related factors of distant metastasis of head and neck mucosal melanoma, so as to provide better help for the treatment and the control of patients' survival. Retrospectively analyze the patients of head and neck mucosal melanoma who were treated in our hospital from January 2004 to December 2016, through follow-up, of which 37 cases of patients with metastatic disease were analyzed which including the incidence of distant metastasis, specific metastasis and prognosis, time, etc.The age and gender of the patients were controlled, and 37 cases of 1∶1 were selected randomly in the patients who had no distant metastasis. Read More

Oral Oncol 2018 Dec 24;87:70-76. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial - Head and Neck Oncology, Ninth People's Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology & Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai 200011, China. Electronic address:

Background: Oral mucosal melanoma (OMM) is an aggressive tumor with an extremely low incidence, and the current TNM Staging System has classified all OMMs as high stage. However, controversy remains regarding the existence of early stage OMMs.

Patients And Methods: The clinical and pathological features, treatments and outcomes of 170 OMM patients treated in a single institution from January 2007 to July 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Read More

Arch Pathol Lab Med 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

From the Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (Dr Williams); the Department of Translational Research, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy (Dr Franchi); the Department of Pathology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom (Dr Helliwell); Atlanta Oral Pathology, Decatur, Georgia (Dr Müller); and the Department of Pathology, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Woodland Hills Medical Center, Woodland Hills (Dr Thompson).

Standardized pathologic reporting for cancers allows for improved communication for patient care and prognostic determination. If used universally, synoptic reporting enhances comparing data globally for scientific leverage. The International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop evidence-based, universally available surgical pathology reporting data sets. Read More

Arch Pathol Lab Med 2019 Apr 30;143(4):452-462. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

From the Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University and Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Bullock); the Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Beitler); the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Weston, Florida (Dr Carlson); the Instituto de Anatomia Patológica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal (Dr Fonseca); the Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Dr Hunt); the Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (Dr Katabi); the Department of Cellular Pathology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom (Dr Sloan); the Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Taylor); the Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (Dr Williams); and the Department of Pathology, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Woodland Hills Medical Center, Woodland Hills, California (Dr Thompson).

Standardized, synoptic pathologic reporting for tumors greatly improves communication among clinicians, patients, and researchers, supporting prognostication and comparison about patient outcomes across institutions and countries. The International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop evidence-based, universally available surgical pathology reporting data sets. Within the head and neck region, lymph node excisions and neck dissections are frequently performed as part of the management of head and neck cancers arising from the mucosal sites (sinonasal tract, nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, oral cavity, and larynx) along with bone tumors, skin cancers, melanomas, and other tumor categories. Read More

Rhinology 2019 Apr;57(2):132-138

Department of Otorhinolaryngology â€" Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Background: To describe a cohort of sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) patients, and to assess if choice of surgical approach (open versus endoscopic) has impact on survival.

Methodology: Adequate data on clinical presentation, treatment, and recurrence pattern were available for 58 consecutive patients treated for SNMM at the Helsinki University Hospital (HUH) between 1983 and 2016.

Results: The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) was 27% and overall survival 25% for the whole cohort. Read More

Hum Pathol 2019 Mar 20;85:279-289. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Oral Diagnosis, Area of Pathology, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13414-903, Brazil.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is caused by an imbalance in the fission and fusion processes, and it has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several human cancers. However, the role of mitochondrial markers in melanomas still remains poorly understood. In this study, the authors assessed the expression of 3 mitochondrial markers (antimitochondrial, fission protein 1 [FIS1], and mitofusin 2 [MFN2]) in a series of head and neck mucosal and cutaneous melanomas. Read More

Anticancer Res 2018 Nov;38(11):6485-6490

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Asahi University, Gifu, Japan.

Background/aim: To investigate the possible association between primary tumor size and overall survival and/or distant metastasis-free survival of patients with mucosal malignant melanoma of the head and neck.

Patients And Methods: A total of 25 patients that have had primary tumor resection were enrolled in this study. Primary tumor size was assessed as the maximum size of the primary tumor in pathological and surgical reports. Read More

Eur J Dermatol 2018 Oct;28(5):654-660

Department of Dermatology.

Few population-based studies on the incidence and prognosis of primary mucosal melanoma (PMM) are available. The first objective was to evaluate disease-specific survival of PMM, overall and according to specific locations, and to identify prognostic factors. The second objective was to assess the global incidence of PMM compared to cutaneous melanoma and to specify the relative frequency of each affected location. Read More

Am J Cancer Res 2018 1;8(9):1788-1800. Epub 2018 Sep 1.

Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University China.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are known to be associated with carcinogenesis, and can serve as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and therapeutic implications. However, little is known about their expression patterns in oral mucosal melanoma (OMM), an extremely rare cancer that is distinct from cutaneous melanoma for its clinical course and prognosis. To investigate circRNAs expression profile in OMM, we performed a circRNAs microarray to analyze 6 primary OMM samples with lymph nodes dissemination, and constructed a genome-wide circRNA profile. Read More

Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2018 Sep;53(9):668-674

Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China.

To study the clinical characteristics of mucosal melanoma in the head and neck, including the risk factors affecting distant metastasis, recurrence and survival rate, and to provide the basis for the individualized treatment of mucosal melanoma in the head and neck. The clinical data of 117 cases of mucosal melanoma in the head and neck treated from January 2004 to June 2016 in Beijing Tongren Hospital were analyzed retrospectively, and the risk factors affecting the prognosis, distant metastasis and local recurrence were analyzed.Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for survival analysis, and Log-Rank test was used for comparison between groups. Read More

Anticancer Res 2018 Oct;38(10):5811-5817

Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, Aesthetic, and Hand Surgery, Basel University Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Background/aim: Hard palate melanoma is an extremely rare and aggressive tumor arising from the mucosal epithelium of the oral cavity. The aim of this study was to analyze epidemiology, loco-regional treatment patterns and survival outcomes of this disease.

Materials And Methods: The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was searched for all cases of hard palate melanoma diagnosed between 1973 and 2012. Read More

Ann Surg Oncol 2018 Dec 28;25(Suppl 3):890-891. Epub 2018 Sep 28.

Division of Surgery, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.

Melanoma Res 2019 02;29(1):47-52

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

Mucosal melanoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus is always associated with poor prognosis, and 5-year overall survival does not exceed 40%. Our study aimed to compare the intraoperative conditions and prognosis of different surgical techniques to determine the optimum surgical approach for patients with mucosal melanoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus. This was a retrospective analysis of 54 patients who received treatment at Beijing Tongren Hospital between January 2004 and December 2016. Read More

Cell Physiol Biochem 2018 11;49(4):1364-1379. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

Department of Pathology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Background/aims: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SMM) is a rare but extremely aggressive disease. Interestingly, however, as lethal as SMM, a few patients could survive for over 5 years without metastasis. However, biomarkers for metastatic SMM are lacking. Read More

Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2018 Nov 13;127(11):856-863. Epub 2018 Aug 13.

1 Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.

Objective: To present a case of primary middle ear mucosal melanoma and perform a comprehensive literature review of middle ear and eustachian tube mucosal melanoma.

Patient: A 61-year-old female presented with no prior history of melanoma and 3 months of aural fullness. A middle ear mass demonstrated primary mucosal melanoma. Read More

Auris Nasus Larynx 2019 Apr 3;46(2):252-259. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Essen, Germany.

Objective: Although current therapeutic options for cutaneous melanoma (CM) are constantly improving survival, mucosal melanoma (MM) remains a rare tumor disease with a poor clinical outcome. While radical surgery is the gold standard, clear margin resections in the head and neck area are particularly critical due to high density of vulnerable structures. Adjuvant therapeutic options increases local control and data on the effect of systemic agents is sparse. Read More

Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2018 Jul-Sep;61(3):399-400

Department of Pathology, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.

Metastasis to the thyroid is uncommon. Mostly, they are tumors that originate in the lung or head or neck. Metastases from breast or kidney carcinomas and metastatic melanoma have also been reported. Read More

Gene 2018 Oct 28;675:44-53. Epub 2018 Jun 28.

Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology & Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center of Stomatology, Shanghai, China. Electronic address:

Background & Aim: Oral mucosal melanoma (OMM) is a kind of malignancy with extremely rare morbidity. It exhibits a poorer biological behavior and clinical outcome compared with cutaneous melanoma. lncRNAs are endogenous cellular RNA transcripts with no protein-coding potential and are associated with oncogenesis through cis- or trans-acting mechanisms. Read More

Lin Chung Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2017 Dec;31(23):1789-1792

Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100005, China.

To investigate the related factors of mucosal melanoma of head and neck with lymph node metastasis for early diagnosis and further treatments. A retrospective analysis of 117 cases of head and neck mucosal malignant melanoma patients which received surgical treatment was performed. Eleven cases of patients with pathologically confirmed lymph node metastasis and 33 cases without lymph node metastasis (1∶3) were randomly selected to analyze. Read More

Lin Chung Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2017 Oct;31(20):1599-1602;1605

Southwest Medical University.

To establish a stable and reliable orthotopic murine model of mucosal malignant melanoma of the maxillary sinus so as to provide animal models for further studying for pathogenesis and therapy of sinonasal malignancy.B16 were implanted in the right maxillary sinus of male nude mice. After tumors appeared in right maxillary sinus, tumor growth and survival rate were recorded. Read More

Oncotarget 2018 May 1;9(33):22886-22894. Epub 2018 May 1.

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Instituto Nacional do Cancer do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Unlike their cutaneous counterparts, head and neck mucosal malignant melanomas (HNMM) are more aggressive, and their prognostic markers have not been fully elucidated. This study, comprising 28 patients with HNMM, aimed to establish the relationship between different mutations and outcome, define the incidence of KIT mutations in HNMM, and identify the correlation among therapeutic options, histopathological findings, demographic data, and clinical response. Clinical analysis included patient characteristics, staging, primary and palliative treatments, and disease-free survival and overall survival (OS). Read More

J Cutan Pathol 2018 May 20. Epub 2018 May 20.

Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Osteocartilaginous differentiation in malignant melanoma is rare and can pose a diagnostic challenge. In previously reported cases, melanomas were predominantly located on acral and mucosal sites, with osteocartilaginous differentiation present in either primary or recurrent lesions. We report a case of a 52-year-old female with malignant melanoma located on the right upper back exhibiting osteosarcomatous differentiation only in the axillary lymph node metastasis. Read More

An Bras Dermatol 2018 Mar;93(2):259-260

Tiradentes Private Clinic, Araçatuba, SP, Brazil.

The recently published 4th Edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Head and Neck Tumors addresses the most relevant and updated aspects of tumor biology, including clinical presentation, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and prognosis of head and neck tumors. The objective of the present study is to compare these updates to the 3rd edition of that book with regard to mucosal melanomas and to highlight the potential factors that differ those tumors from cutaneous melanomas. We observed progress in the understanding of oral and sinonasal mucosal melanomas, which also present themselves, in the molecular scope, differently form cutaneous melanomas. Read More

Oncotarget 2018 Apr 3;9(25):17971-17977. Epub 2018 Apr 3.

Department of Oncology, Palacký University, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and University Hospital, Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Background: Mucosal melanoma is a rare form of melanoma presenting variably as sores or unexplained bleeding located mainly in the head and neck region, anorectal region or female genital tract. Mucosal melanoma is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and is characterized by an aggressive behavior. Surgery represents the mainstay of treatment for early stage melanomas, but for advanced disease there have been until recently very limited treatment options. Read More

Ann Surg Oncol 2018 Jun 6;25(6):1723-1729. Epub 2018 Apr 6.

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.

Background: Head and neck mucosal melanoma is a locally aggressive tumor with a high recurrence rate. The paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity are the most common primary tumor sites.

Objective: The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify independent predictors of outcome in sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) and characterize the patterns of treatment failure. Read More

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018 May 30;102(10):4339-4343. Epub 2018 Mar 30.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

Respiratory mucosa especially nasal epithelium is well known as the first-line barrier of air-borne pathogens. High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are detected in in vitro cultured human epithelial cells and in vivo lung. With identification of NADPH oxidase (Nox) system of respiratory epithelium, the antimicrobial role of ROS has been studied. Read More

Curr Oncol Rep 2018 03 23;20(3):28. Epub 2018 Mar 23.

Plastic Surgical Research Unit, Department of Plastic Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Noerrebrogade 44, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.

Purpose Of Review: Mucosal melanoma is of great interest due to its aggressive behavior and less favorable prognosis. The literature is mainly case reports and case series. Here, we will collect the knowledge on mucosal melanoma from the last decade and review the literature. Read More

Curr Oncol Rep 2018 02 28;20(2):10. Epub 2018 Feb 28.

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Unit 1445, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030, USA.

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare oncological entity that comprises most head and neck mucosal melanomas. SNMM has distinctive genetic background, different from cutaneous melanoma. Survival outcomes among SNMM patients are poor; while there is no clear consensus on the optimal management of SNMM, the primary treatment modality is generally considered to be wide surgical excision, and radiation therapy (RT) is often used in the postoperative adjuvant setting to improve locoregional control. Read More

ANZ J Surg 2018 Nov 1;88(11):1145-1150. Epub 2018 Feb 1.

Division of Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore.

Background: Primary mucosal melanomas (MM) are rare neoplasms arising from melanocytes in mucosal membranes. Delayed diagnosis and aggressive disease biology contribute to a poorer prognosis. The clinical patterns of MMs treated in a large tertiary centre, and the differences between MMs in the head and neck versus other anatomical sites are described. Read More

Laryngoscope 2018 08 4;128(8):1772-1777. Epub 2018 Jan 4.

Unit of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Brescia, Italy.

Objectives/hypothesis: Pretreatment biopsy is crucial in histology-based management of malignant nasoethmoidal tumors, because misdiagnosis can lead to inadequate therapeutic planning. Factors influencing the reliability of biopsy were retrospectively investigated in a tertiary referral center.

Study Design: Retrospective case series. Read More

Genes (Basel) 2017 Dec 13;8(12). Epub 2017 Dec 13.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Technische Universität München, Ismaningerstr, 22, 81675 München, Germany.

Despite worldwide prevention programs, the incidence for cutaneous melanoma is continuously increasing. Mucosal melanoma (MM) represents a rare but highly aggressive phenotype of common melanoma with predilection in the sinonasal system. Far away from ultraviolet sun exposure, the molecular mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis and the highly aggressive clinical behavior are poorly understood. Read More

J Pathol 2018 Mar 5;244(3):358-366. Epub 2018 Feb 5.

Bio-X Institutes, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Institute of Social Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, PR China.

Oral mucosal melanoma (OMM) is a rare and aggressive subtype of melanoma with little known about its pathogenesis or carcinogenesis. We therefore performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 19 matched OMM tumor/normal pairs in order to gain insight into potential genetic drivers of tumor formation. For the first time, we describe the comprehensive mutational profile of OMM. Read More

Dermatol Pract Concept 2017 Oct 31;7(4):13-16. Epub 2017 Oct 31.

Dermatology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Hauppauge, NY, USA.

The majority of oral pigmentations are benign lesions such as nevi, melanotic macules, melanoacanthomas or amalgam tattoos. Conversely, mucosal melanomas are rare but often lethal; therefore, excluding oral melanomas in this setting is crucial. Reflectance confocal microscopy is a non-invasive, in vivo imaging system with cellular resolution that has been used to distinguish benign from malignant pigmented lesions in the skin, and more recently in the mucosa. Read More

Oncology (Williston Park) 2017 11 15;31(11):e23-e32. Epub 2017 Nov 15.

Mucosal melanoma is a rare disease that is distinct from melanomas arising at other sites in the body. While melanocytes are most abundant in the skin, they can be found in smaller numbers in the mucous membranes, as well as in the eye. There are epidemiologic, genetic, and other physiologic differences between melanomas arising from melanocytes at these various sites, and these differences have important implications for both disease prognosis and treatment. Read More

J Cancer 2017 17;8(18):3828-3837. Epub 2017 Oct 17.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China.

To investigate the relationship between clinical and histopathological characteristics and overall survival of patients with oral mucosal melanoma (OMM) without distal metastasis in order to provide predictive prognostic information of OMM. Ki67 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 123 patients with OMM without distant metastases. The associations between Ki67 expression and clinical features and overall survival (OS) of patients were statistically analyzed. Read More