Intestinal relapse of a cutaneous melanoma. Report of one case

Abstract

Digestive tract primary melanoma is uncommon. However, metastatic lesions are more frequent and occur mainly in the small intestine. We report a 69-year-old male patient who consulted for a hyperpigmented skin lesion on the left thigh associated with multiple subcutaneous nodules. The biopsy was compatible with melanoma and PET/CT was positive for metastases in nodules and in an inguinal lymph node. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy with pembrolizumab were performed with good response, associated with posterior resection of the inguinal lymph node and melanocytic lesions. At three years of follow-up, a new hypermetabolic focus in the proximal jejunum was found in a control PET/CT. An endoscopic biopsy confirmed that it was a recurrence of the melanoma. Laparoscopic resection with primary anastomosis was performed with good clinical evolution. The definitive biopsy showed a melanoma metastasis with two of three lymph nodes positive for metastasis and a non-mutated BRAF gene. In conclusion, a single intestinal recurrence of melanoma is rare and requires an active search, since it can be resected using minimally invasive techniques.