Clinically Aggressive Presentation of Malignant Melanoma in Oral Cavity: Case Report

Abstract

Malignant melanoma is a rare aggressive tumor that originates from melanocytes. Melanomas are most common in the cutaneous region and are rare in the oral cavity. They account for about only 0.5% of all malignant tumors in the oral cavity. Oral Malignant Melanomas may go unnoticed since they are asymptomatic clinically but they are aggressive biologically. In the oral cavity, the hard palate and gingiva are the most common sites of involvement. Melanoma tends to metastasize more faster than other skin cancers. Therefore, early diagnosis of malignant melanoma is necessary. Melanomas that are diagnosed early can be cured with minor surgery and the survival rate and prognosis is better when it is detected earlier. We hereby report a case of a 60-year-old male patient with a complaint of swelling in the gingiva that had diffuse black pigmentation, which was diagnosed as a melanoma.