Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy: case report and review of the literature

Melanotic Neuroectodermal Tumor of Infancy (MNTI) is a rare but distinct neoplastic entity in infancy. Diagnosis is usually made before the age of 12 months. The common clinical presentation is a rapidly growing mass of the pre-maxillary area. Its surface is unevenly pigmented. To affirm the diagnosis a biopsy is necessary. Few cases of malignancy have been described (5% of cases). Adequate surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Recurrence rate is about 10 to 15% within 5 years. We report in this article the case of a newborn with MNTI illustrating that an R0 surgical excision can be correlated to a favourable prognosis. In this case the 5 years follow up didn't show any local or distant recurrence.