Mucosal oropharyngeal melanoma with tonsil infiltration

Abstract

Introduction: Mucosal melanoma is a rare tumor, representing 1 % of all melanomas. It is characterized by being an aggressive neoplasm with a poor prognosis.

Objective: to describe a rare case of oropharyngeal melanoma located in the tonsil mucosa.

Clinical case: 69-year-old female, black, with a personal pathological history of arterial hypertension, morbid obesity and a history of being an inveterate smoker for more than 30 years. She was treated for several months due an odynophagia without apparent improvement. The surgical intervention of her was decided, performing left tonsillectomy and left cervical lymph node dissection from levels I to V.

Conclusions: Melanoma of the pharyngeal mucosa is not frequent and because it is often asymptomatic, it must be actively investigated to make an early diagnosis of the disease and avoid the appearance of metastases, thus allowing surgery to be performed as soon as possible.