Primary intracranial amelanotic melanoma--report of an autopsy case

Primary intracranial amelanotic melanoma was verified at autopsy in a 38-year-old male. Correct diagnosis of amelanotic melanoma needs electron microscopy or immunohistochemistry, since Masson staining is negative due to the absence of melanin pigment. We adopted the following criteria for clinical use: macroscopically not dark and microscopically negative for Masson staining, but ultrastructurally various melanoma types present. Although the clinical profile of this case is consistent with melanotic melanoma, the more detailed features of primary intracranial amelanotic melanoma require future study.