Case Report
Year: 2019 | Month: September | Volume: 9 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 260-264
Primary Melanoma of the Oral Cavity: A Case Report with an Overview on Its Molecular Pathogenesis
Jasmin Jose1, Deepa Jose2, Valappil T Beena3, T J Arun4
1MDS Oral Pathology, Fellow in Head and Neck Pathology, Department of Oncopathology,
Malabar Cancer Centre, Thalassery, Kannur District, Kerala, India
2MDS, Oral Pathology, Senior Lecturer, Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology,
Mar Baselios Dental College, Kothamangalam, Kerala, India
3MDS, Oral Pathology, Principal and Professor, Government Dental College, Kottayam, Kerala, India
4MDS, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Government Dental College, Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
Corresponding Author: Jasmin Jose
ABSTRACT
Primary melanoma of the oral cavity is an infrequent neoplasm of very aggressive characteristics; represents 0.2% to 8% of total cases of melanoma from other sites of the body. It occurs between 30 and 90 years of age, with higher incidence in the sixth decade, with a slight male predilection. The primary sites of occurrence in the oral cavity are the palate and maxillary gingiva. Since most melanotic lesions in the oral cavity are painless in their early stages, a delayed recognition and subsequent treatment result in worst prognosis. This article emphasizes how crucial it is to maintain a high index of suspicion for any pigmented lesion within the oral cavity. Here we present a case of melanoma that was present in the upper gingiva with distant metastasis and briefly reviews the relevant literature that explains the nature and molecular pathogenesis of this lesion.
Key words: melanoma, gingiva, melanocytes, mucosa, pigmentation.