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Arch Craniofac Surg 2020 Apr 20;21(2):132-136. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Departments of Pathology, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Oral mucosal melanoma is a very rare type of malignant melanoma, the characteristics of which differ from those of cutaneous melanoma. Primary amelanotic melanoma of the mandibular gingiva, which can invade the mandibular bone, is very rare worldwide. Here, we report a case in which we performed a reconstruction of the mandible and gingiva using the fibula osteocutaneous free flap procedure to treat a patient diagnosed with a primary amelanotic melanoma of the mandibular gingiva. Read More

J Neurooncol 2020 Mar 29. Epub 2020 Mar 29.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Center for Minimally Invasive Skull Base Surgery, University of California-San Francisco, 2233 Post St, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA.

Purpose: To compare the outcomes of Sinonasal Mucosal Melanomas (SNMM) treated with endoscopic and open resection.

Methods: A retrospective case review of 20 patients with SNMM treated surgically at UCSF. Kaplan-Meier analyses were calculated to determine outcome differences in endoscopic vs. Read More

Oral Dis 2020 Mar 28. Epub 2020 Mar 28.

Department of Oral Mucosal Diseases, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Objectives: To assess potential association between oral nevi (ON) and nevus-associated melanoma (NAM), in which melanoma cells coexist with nevus cells.

Methods: A total of 74 ON patients and 7 NAM patients were retrospectively reviewed. Comparative and regression analyses of clinical and histological data were performed between two groups. Read More

Onco Targets Ther 2020 16;13:2289-2298. Epub 2020 Mar 16.

The Laboratory for Applied Cancer Research, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Rambam Healthcare Campus, Haifa, Israel.

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare tumor, comprising less than 10% of sinonasal malignancies. SNMM most frequently occurs in the nasal cavity (70%) and maxillary sinus (14%), typically as black patches. Overall, SNMM harbors a very poor prognosis; 5-year survival is less than 30%. Read More

Ultrastruct Pathol 2020 Mar 12;44(2):249-254. Epub 2020 Mar 12.

Departments of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Mucosal malignant melanoma of the head and neck (HN) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm which constitutes only 1% of all melanomas. Neuroendocrine differentiation is an extremely unusual phenomenon in mucosal melanomas, of which five cases have been reported. We report a rare case of a 63-year-old female who developed sinonasal amelanotic melanoma with immunohistochemical expression of neuroendocrine markers, presenting a diagnostic dilemma. Read More

Ear Nose Throat J 2020 Feb 19:145561320904813. Epub 2020 Feb 19.

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

Mucosal melanoma arising in the middle ear or eustachian tube is uncommon. We present a patient with hearing loss and otalgia found to have mucosal melanoma which occurred in the eustachian tube with extension into the middle ear cavity and external ear canal. Otologic clinics was consulted and biopsy of the mass located at the external canal was performed to ascertain the pathological diagnosis. Read More

Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2020 Feb 6:3489420904744. Epub 2020 Feb 6.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of tanning bed use on the behavior of subsequent melanomas.

Methods: Cases of invasive cutaneous melanoma who completed a baseline questionnaire within 1 year of biopsy were ascertained using an institutional registry. Patients were categorized into one of two groups: (1) no history of UV tanning bed usage or (2) any history of tanning bed usage. Read More

Diagnostics (Basel) 2020 Feb 3;10(2). Epub 2020 Feb 3.

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya 464-0021, Japan.

Mucosal malignant melanoma of the head and neck is a rare diagnosis. The safety and efficacy of salvage neck dissection following carbon-ion radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy are not well described, and carbon-ion radiation protocols have not been fully developed. A 77 year old woman with crT0N1M0 mucosal melanoma of the head and neck achieved a complete response following initial treatment with carbon-ion radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy. Read More

J Dermatol 2020 Apr 26;47(4):356-362. Epub 2020 Jan 26.

Department of Dermatology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan.

Immune-related adverse events (irAE) were reported to be associated with better outcomes in various cancers treated with the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab. Considering that their development depends on host immune activation, irAE may reflect antitumor response in mucosal melanoma (MM). This single-center retrospective study including patients with advanced MM receiving nivolumab monotherapy between August 2014 and September 2018 investigated whether the development of irAE was associated with clinical efficacy. Read More

Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2020 01;55(1):73-77

First Clinical Medical College, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, China.

Int J Clin Exp Pathol 2019 1;12(8):2819-2825. Epub 2019 Aug 1.

Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Mucosal melanoma (MM) occurs in non-cutaneous mucosal sites, e.g., the head and neck or the lower genital tract; it is a rare and aggressive neoplasm with a poor prognosis. Read More

Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2019 Dec 22;4(6):624-631. Epub 2019 Nov 22.

Department of ORL, Head & Neck Surgery Skåne University Hospital Lund Sweden.

Background: The aim of the study was to review a local treatment protocol for sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) focusing on triple modality treatment (TMT), that is, neoadjuvant concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and surgery.

Methods: In a retrospective design, data on clinical presentation, treatment, and survival were retrieved for 22 consecutive patients from a tertiary referral center.

Results: The mean overall survival (OS) for all patients (3 stage III, 16 stage IVA, and 3 stage IVB) was 62 months, and the 5-year OS rate 50%. Read More

Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2019 12 22;9(12):1492-1498. Epub 2019 Nov 22.

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

Background: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SMM) is a rare, aggressive cancer, optimally managed with complete surgical resection. This study aimed to assess the impact of surgical approach on outcomes by comparison of cases managed with open vs endoscopic resection.

Methods: The National Cancer Database 2010-2015 datasets were queried for all cases of non-metastatic SMM initially managed with definitive surgery. Read More

Future Oncol 2019 Dec 14;15(34):3977-3986. Epub 2019 Nov 14.

Department of Dermatology, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA.

Mucosal melanomas (MM) arise within the lining of the gastrointestinal (GI), genitourinary (GU) and head and neck (HN) systems.  A retrospective analysis of the National Comprehensive Database identified 4,961 MM patients. Primary objective was to compare survival outcomes across the different locations. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2019 12 24;123:1-10. Epub 2019 Oct 24.

Head and Neck Surgery Department, Pellegrin Hospital, Centre Michelet, Bordeaux, France.

Background: Head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) is aggressive and rare, with a poor prognosis because of its high metastatic potential. The two main subtypes are sinonasal (sinonasal mucosal melanoma [SNMM]) and oral cavity (oral cavity mucosal melanoma [OCMM]). Consensual therapeutic guidelines considering the primary tumour site and tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage are not well established. Read More

Cancer Med 2019 Dec 16;8(17):7227-7235. Epub 2019 Oct 16.

Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center, Maebashi, Japan.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of carbon-ion radiotherapy in combination with chemotherapy using dacarbazine, nimustine, and vincristine (DAV therapy) in mucosal melanoma. Twenty-one patients with clinically localized mucosal melanoma of the head and neck were enrolled. The primary endpoint was 3-year overall survival (OS). Read More

J Neurol Surg B Skull Base 2019 Oct 5;80(5):484-492. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States.

 Sinonasal melanoma is a rare disease with a high mortality rate. The surgical management paradigm has significantly changed over the past decade with the introduction of expanded endonasal techniques. There have also been advances in management of metastatic and locally advanced disease with the advent of immunotherapy. Read More

Clin Case Rep 2019 Sep 31;7(9):1709-1713. Epub 2019 Jul 31.

Department of Head and Neck Surgery Iwate Medical University Morioka Japan.

Firstly, glucocorticoids such as prednisolone can attenuate the effect of anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab. Secondly, malignant melanoma cells survived latently and unnoticeably in places other than those of previous metastatic lesions. Thirdly, effector T cells activated by nivolumab sustained their memory to attack malignant melanoma cells for several months. Read More

Oral Oncol 2019 10 10;97:44-49. Epub 2019 Aug 10.

Department of Head and Neck Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.

Background: Head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) is a rare and aggressive disease with a high metastatic potential. Two staging systems are currently available: one specific to HNMM (mmTNM) and one specific to primary tumour sites (sccTNM). Our main objective was to assess the prognostic value of both of these classifications in order to allow accurate risk-based classification. Read More

Mod Pathol 2019 12 2;32(12):1727-1733. Epub 2019 Aug 2.

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Mucosal melanomas are rare, and less is known about the biomarkers of this subtype in comparison to cutaneous or uveal melanomas. Preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) has been studied as a tool for prognostication of uveal melanomas, and immunotherapy against PRAME-expressing tumor cells has already shown promise. Our goal was to retrospectively analyze 29 cases of mucosal melanomas at our institution to determine if any molecular and histopathologic prognosticators could be identified, as well as to study PRAME expression and its association with prognosis. Read More

Cancer Med 2019 Sep 1;8(12):5482-5491. Epub 2019 Aug 1.

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

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of carbon-ion radiation therapy for nonsquamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity in a multicenter study.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of the clinicopathological features and outcomes of 76 patients with oral nonsquamous cell carcinomas with N0-1 M0 status and were treated with carbon-ion radiation therapy at four institutions in Japan between November 2003 and December 2014 was performed.

Results: Salivary gland carcinoma, mucosal melanoma, and three other carcinomas were found in 46, 27, and 3 patients, respectively. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Jul 22;12(7). Epub 2019 Jul 22.

Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Radiodiagnostic Unit n. 2, University of Florence - Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy.

A 67-year-old man presented to ear, nose and throat department complaining of nasal congestion and recurrent epistaxis for 5 months. Nasal endoscopy revealed a pigmented polyp obstructing the right nasal cavity. MRI with contrast agent showed a right nasal cavity polypoid mass with hyper signal intensity (SI) both in non-enhanced T1-w and diffusion imaging, marked hypo SI in T2-w sequences and avidly contrast enhancement characterised by rapid wash-in without significant wash-out on dynamic perfusion imaging. Read More

J Craniomaxillofac Surg 2019 Sep 25;47(9):1370-1377. Epub 2019 Jun 25.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Klinikum Osnabrueck, Am Finkenhuegel 1, 49076, Osnabrueck, Germany. Electronic address:

Introduction: Head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) is a rare tumor with a poor outcome. The objective of this study was to assess outcome and prognostic factors for a cohort of patients treated in a head and neck cancer center. In addition, a case series on sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) was included to evaluate it as a method for staging the node-negative neck. Read More

Insights Imaging 2019 Jul 16;10(1):72. Epub 2019 Jul 16.

Department of Radiology, Section of Neuroradiology, University of Chicago, 5841 S Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.

This article reviews the imaging features of head and neck lesions with updated 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) nomenclature. The major WHO changes include refined terminology of existing entities, descriptions of new tumor types, elimination of defunct categories, and updated biological characterization of various tumor types. In particular, the updates pertaining to the following conditions will be reviewed: tumors of the oral cavity and oropharynx, including HPV-positive or HPV-negative squamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma; tumors of the hypopharynx, larynx, trachea, and parapharyngeal space, including nomenclature revisions for laryngeal neuroendocrine tumors; tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses including newly added entities such as NUT carcinoma and biphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma; odontogenic and maxillofacial bone tumors, including the reversal of terminology for certain cystic lesions; tumors of the salivary glands, including updated terminology related to high-grade transformation and polymorphous adenocarcinomas tumors; temporal bone lesions including modifications of the nomenclature and classification criteria; tumor-like lesions of the neck and lymph nodes, with a discussion encompassing developmental cysts, metastases of unknown primary, and heterotopia-associated neoplasia; and mucosal melanoma. Read More

J Am Acad Dermatol 2019 Jul 12. Epub 2019 Jul 12.

Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL. Electronic address:

Background: Compared to sun-exposed melanomas, less is known regarding the pathogenesis of sun-protected melanomas. Sun-protected melanomas share many epidemiologic factors but their genetic heterogeneity is not well studied.

Objective: We investigated the genomic profile of acral, mucosal and vulvovaginal melanomas. Read More

Melanoma Res 2019 12;29(6):612-620

Cancer Biotherapy Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming medical University (Yunnan Cancer Center).

Aberrant glycosylation plays a major role in the progression of melanoma, but little is known about glycosyltransferases. Glycosyltransferase 8 domain containing 1 (GLT8D1) is located in the Golgi apparatus and is related to transferase activity in mammals. However, its role in cancer remains unclear. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Jul 12;12(7). Epub 2019 Jul 12.

Acute Medical Unit, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, UK.

A 43-year-old woman presented with an 8-week history of fatigue and recurrent right sided nasal bleeds progressing to significant pain and swelling on the right side of her face. Clinical examination revealed a friable mass in her right nasal passage. A biopsy and staging positron emission tomography-CT scan confirmed the diagnosis of a T4 N1 M1 BRAF wild type mucosal melanoma. Read More

Clin Pract 2019 May 11;9(2):1157. Epub 2019 Jun 11.

Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.

The aim of this report is to present a case of a patient with a recurrent nasal cavity amelanotic melanoma (AM), with emphasis on diagnosis and therapy options of this clinical entity. A 65-year-old female patient presented with pain in the right cheek region and nasal obstruction. In 2013, she was diagnosed with mucosal melanoma (MM) of the left nasal cavity. Read More

Clin Transl Oncol 2020 May 29;22(5):663-669. Epub 2019 Jun 29.

Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Malignant melanoma is a well-known and commonly lethal tumour yet there exists scarce published information available from Saudi Arabia.

Materials And Methods: This study examined the demographic, clinical, and histopathological profile of melanoma in a sample of Saudi patients over a period of 13 years. Medical records of 98 patients from 2004 to 2016 were retrieved from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Read More

Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2019 08 4;31(8):520-528. Epub 2019 Jun 4.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, India. Electronic address:

Oral cavity cancer (OCC) poses a global challenge that plagues both the Orient and the Occident, accounting for an estimated 350 000 new cases and 177 000 deaths in 2018. OCC is a major public health problem in the Indian subcontinent, where it ranks among the top three cancer types in both incidence and mortality. Major risk factors are the use of tobacco, betel quid and alcohol consumption. Read More

Cancer Immunol Immunother 2019 Jul 7;68(7):1171-1178. Epub 2019 Jun 7.

Inserm U981, Melanoma Group, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are now standard-of-care treatments for metastatic cutaneous melanoma. However, for rare sub-groups, such as mucosal melanomas, few published data are available, and with no established therapeutic guidelines. Our objective was to assess the response to anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1 immunotherapy in patients with mucosal melanomas. Read More

Front Oncol 2019 8;9:355. Epub 2019 May 8.

Infections and Cancer Biology Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France.

Papillomaviridae is a family of small non-enveloped icosahedral viruses with double-stranded circular DNA. More than 200 different human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been listed so far. Based on epidemiological data, a subgroup of alphapapillomaviruses (alpha HPVs) was referred to as high-risk (HR) HPV types. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2019 Aug 16;276(8):2259-2265. Epub 2019 May 16.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 24, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.

Purpose: To present outcome measures of sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SMM) patients with particular focus on current radiological and therapeutic options, especially in the non-curative setting (immunotherapy).

Methods: Retrospective study on SMM patients treated at our institution between January 1992 and December 2018.

Results: FDG-PET/MRI has emerged as the new hybrid imaging modality, addressing the need for high local tissue contrast in the paranasal sinuses and the skull base, while allowing for whole-body staging in search for distant metastases, including the brain. Read More

Laryngoscope 2020 Mar 11;130(3):622-627. Epub 2019 May 11.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.A.

Objectives/hypothesis: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare malignant neoplasm. No study to date has analyzed the impact that nodal metastases and distant metastases at diagnosis have on overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS).

Study Design: Retrospective database review. Read More

Laryngoscope 2020 Feb 25;130(2):275-282. Epub 2019 Apr 25.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rush Center for Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Objectives/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of demographic factors, tumor stage, and treatment modalities for overall survival in patients with sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM).

Study Design: Retrospective database review.

Methods: The National Cancer Database was queried for patients of all ages with SNMM between 2004 and 2015. Read More

Radiother Oncol 2019 07 19;136:148-153. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

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

Background And Purpose: Locoregional recurrence after carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) for primary head and neck malignancies, such as malignant mucosal melanoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, and sarcoma, occurs occasionally. However, the treatment options are limited. We report on the toxicity and efficacy of re-irradiation using carbon ions for recurrent head and neck malignancies after CIRT. Read More

Oral Oncol 2019 05 28;92:67-76. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Department of Surgery (Section of Otolaryngology), Yale University School of Medicine, 800 Howard Ave, 4th Floor, New Haven, CT 0519, United States; Yale Cancer Center, PO Box 208028, New Haven, CT 06520-8028, United States. Electronic address:

Objectives: To analyze head and neck mucosal melanoma (MM) treatment patterns, and their association with survival, relative to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines.

Material & Methods: Adult head and neck MM patients with clinically-staged T3/4aN0 disease were identified in a retrospective analysis of the National Cancer Database (2010-2014) and stratified into sinonasal cavity (SN) and oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx (non-SN) cohorts.

Results: We identified 353 SN and 79 non-SN MM cases. Read More

J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2019 Sep 26;77(9):1832-1836. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 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 06 5;25(12):3473-3475. Epub 2019 Apr 5.

Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.

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

Mod Pathol 2019 07 1;32(8):1068-1081. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.

Leukoplakia is a potential precursor of oral as well as laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Risk assessment of malignant transformation based on the grade of dysplasia of leukoplakia often does not lead to reliable results. However, oral squamous cell carcinoma, laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and leukoplakia express single or multiple members of the melanoma-associated antigens A (MAGE-A) family, while MAGE-A are absent in healthy mucosal tissue. Read More

J Oral Pathol Med 2019 May 10;48(5):373-381. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

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 02 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 03;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 06 24;41(6):1795-1803. 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