Malignant melanoma of lingual gingiva with ipsilateral submandibular lymph node metastasis: a case report

Malignant melanoma is a neoplasm of epidermal melanocytes. It is one of the most biologically unpredictable and deadly of all human neoplasms. However, malignant melanoma in the oral cavity is a rare malignancy, accounting for 0.2% to 8% of all melanomas. It has a grave prognosis, with a 5 year survival of 10-20%. We present a case of malignant melanoma of lingual gingiva of left mandibular molars with ipsilateral submandibular lymph node metastasis. We performed peripheral osteotomy of primary lesion followed by modified radical neck dissection by sparing internal jugular vein and patient had received postoperative radiotherapy.