Multiple metastases after surgery for a rare vulvar malignant melanoma combined with immunotherapy: a case report

Abstract

We herein describe the preoperative and postoperative clinical data of a patient with a rare case of vulvar malignant melanoma and discuss her clinical characteristics and prognosis. After surgical resection and immunotherapy, the patient’s illness continued to worsen. She then received local vulvar radiotherapy. However, further treatment was discontinued because of intolerable complications of radiotherapy, and the patient died about 18 months postoperatively. Management of vulvar malignant melanoma is challenging. No unified, effective, and standardized diagnostic and treatment plan has been established for this disease. Surgery remains the primary treatment modality for locally resectable vulvar malignant melanoma. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy do not benefit survival. Encouragingly, however, immunotherapy and targeted therapy have shown clinical efficacy in metastatic vulvar malignant melanoma.