Clinicopathologic study of 85 cases of melanoma of the female genitalia

Tcheung, Win J.; Selim, M. Angélica; Herndon, James E.; Abernethy, Amy P.; Nelson, Kelly C.

doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2011.11.921

Cited by 80 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Specifically, the 3-year relative survival rate for patients with Clark levels of invasion II, II, IV, and V were 45%, 36%, 27%, and 14%, respectively. Besides these two large registry studies, smaller cohort studies and case series describing between 11 (22) and 44 (28) patients with PMV were identified (8,24,27,30,35,38,44,50,61,68,72,76). As expected, the heterogeneity among these studies with low numbers of patients with PMV was considerable.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 66%

Melanoma of the Vagina: Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature

Rapi

Doğan

Schultheis

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Background: Primary melanoma of the vagina (PMV) is a rare entity. The prognosis of women with PMV is poor and there is no standardized therapy for this type of malignancy. We present the case of a 72-year-old womanwith PMV (cT2, pN0, M0 Melanoma is caused by the malignant transformation of pigment cells. Apart from the skin, pigment cells such as melanocytes are present in various mucosal linings such as those of the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urogenital tracts (1). Thus, in addition to the common cutaneous locations, melanomas may also arise in mucosal areas of various organs. Cutaneous melanomas are estimated to be the sixth most common cancer entity among females in the US (2). In contrast, mucosal melanomas are rare and account for only 1.4% of all melanomas. Of note, gender plays an important role in the epidemiology of mucosal melanomas. With almost three cases per million women, which is half that for men, mucosal melanomas are significantly more often diagnosed among women (3). This gender gap is caused by the fact that genital tract mucosal melanomas are more common among women than they are among men, whereas extra-genital mucosal melanomas are evenly distributed between the sexes (3).In the female genital tract, the predominant location of melanoma is the vulva whereas the vagina is rarely affected (3). Specifically, the incidence of primary melanoma of the vagina (PMV) is about three cases per 10,000,000 women per year. Primary melanomas of the vulva are four to nine times more frequent than PMV (4, 5). PMV is typically diagnosed in elderly women at an advanced stage and is characterized by early recurrence and a poor prognosis (2). The 5-year overall survival rate for PMV is below 20% compared to around 45% for those with vulvar melanoma and >80% for those with cutaneous melanoma (2-6). This remarkable difference has been attributed to a variety of 6911 This Αrticle is freely accessible online.

show abstract

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 66%

Melanoma of the Vagina: Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature

Rapi

Doğan

Schultheis

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We also examined differences in mutational patterns in GM and AGN from hair-bearing and nonhair-bearing skin. A pigmented lesion occurring on mucosal tissue, particularly in postmenopausal women, was more likely to be a melanoma, especially if ulceration was noted on histologic evaluation (Brenn, 2011, Tacastacas et al , 2014, Tcheung et al , 2012). GM also had higher mitotic rates (median, 5 mitoses/mm 2 ; range, 0-30) than AGN (median, 0; range, 0-1) (p<0.0001), more frequent and extensive pagetoid spread (p<0.0001), and severe nuclear atypia (p<0.0001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonoverlapping Clinical and Mutational Patterns in Melanomas from the Female Genital Tract and Atypical Genital Nevi

Yélamos

Merkel

Sholl

et al. 2016

Journal of Investigative Dermatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Genital melanomas (GM) are the second most common cancer of the female external genitalia and may be confused with atypical genital nevi (AGN), which exhibit atypical histological features but have benign behavior. In this study, we compared the clinical, histologic and molecular features of 19 GM and 25 AGN. We described chromosomal copy number aberrations, and the mutational status of 50 oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in both groups. Our study revealed that a pigmented lesion occurring in mucosal tissue, particularly in postmenopausal women, was more likely to be a melanoma than a nevus. GM had high levels of chromosomal instability with many copy number aberrations. Furthermore, we found a completely non-overlapping pattern of oncogenic mutations when comparing GM and AGN. In GM, we report somatic mutations in KIT and TP53. Conversely, AGN had frequent BRAF V600E mutations, which were not seen in any of the GM. Our results demonstrate that GM and AGN have distinct clinical and molecular changes, and that GM have a different mutational pattern compared to AGN.

show abstract

“…1 Overall prognosis largely depends on tumor stage and is poor in cases with an increased tumor thickness, ulceration, or lymph node metastases. 2,3 Recently, there has been a substantial increase in understanding the biology of malignant melanoma. It has become clear that ultraviolet irradiationinduced melanoma differs in clinical presentation, location, and underlying biological alterations from non-sun-induced tumors.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of molecular abnormalities in vulvar and vaginal melanomas

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Malignant melanoma of the vulva and vagina is relatively uncommon and accounts for o5% of all melanomas in women. The aim of our study was to establish the biological properties and evaluate potential therapeutic targets in these tumors. We collected a series of 65 cases from three centers and re-evaluated the tumor tissue for predominant growth pattern (superficial spreading, nodular, and mucosal lentiginous) and tumor thickness. KIT (CD117) expression was detected immunohistochemically. In addition, tumors were screened for BRAF, NRAS, and KIT mutations by PCR and DNA sequencing as well as for KIT amplifications by fluorescence in situ hybridization. None of the cases contained BRAF mutations. NRAS mutations and KIT amplifications were detected in similar frequency (B12%) in tumors of the vulva and vagina. In contrast, KIT mutations were present in 18% of primary melanomas of the vulva, but in none of the tumors arising in the vagina. Moderate or strong KIT protein expression was detected in 30 cases, including all tumors with KIT mutations and 6 of the 7 with KIT amplifications. In conclusion, BRAF mutations are virtually absent in melanomas originating from the vulva or vagina, whereas NRAS mutations and KIT amplifications occur in both locations. KIT mutations appear to be specific for melanomas of the vulva, suggesting that in spite of the anatomic proximity, the development of vulvar and vaginal melanomas involves different molecular alterations which may be targeted by novel treatment approaches.

show abstract

Clinicopathologic study of 85 cases of melanoma of the female genitalia

Cited by 80 publications

References 30 publications

Melanoma of the Vagina: Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature

Melanoma of the Vagina: Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature

Nonoverlapping Clinical and Mutational Patterns in Melanomas from the Female Genital Tract and Atypical Genital Nevi

Comparison of molecular abnormalities in vulvar and vaginal melanomas

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About