Intra-oral malignant melanoma--a case report and review of the literature

Malignant melanomas represent one of the most life-threatening forms of cancer. Arising from melanocyte precursors, they have the ability to invade or readily metastasise to any organ. Intra-oral melanomas represent 1-2% of all oral malignancies, and 0.2-8% of all melanomas. Prognoses and eight-year survival rates for intra-oral malignant melanomas are poorer than for cutaneous malignant melanomas (20% and 60% survival, respectively) because of: the absence of symptoms in the early stage of the disease delaying diagnosis; difficulty in determining the width of the radical surgical excision due to anatomic limitations; and the rich blood supply to the region, which may facilitate haematogenic propagation. We report a case of a 65-year-old man with malignant melanoma of the anterior maxillary gingiva. Considering the poor prognosis associated with oral melanomas, it also emphasises the fact that suspicious pigmented lesions should be surgically removed and investigated further.