Stomach metastasis of malignant melanoma

Abstract

Dear Editor, Malignant melanoma develops as a result of malignant transformation of melanocytes. Melanocytes in the body are found in the skin, mucosa, eye and nervous system. Primary skin melanomas are responsible for 1-2% of deaths in the world. Although the incidence of melanoma increases with age, it is most commonly seen between the ages of 20-45 (1). It is the 5th most common cancer in the United States. Because of its aggressive behavior and high rate of metastasis, its prognosis are poor. Life expectancy of 10 years is 75-80%. The mean survival time in distant metastasis cases is 6-9 months (2). Malignant melanomas are rare in the gastrointestinal tract, although small bowel, large bowel and anorectal metastasis are common and metastasis to the stomach is rare (3). We aimed to present gastric metastasis in a 71-year-old woman with malignant melanoma