Mucosal melanoma: an update

Mucosal melanoma is a rare melanoma subtype that differs from the cutaneous form of the tumor in its biology, clinical manifestations, and management. Diagnosis is usually late due to a lack of early or specific signs and the location of lesions in areas that are difficult to access on physical examination. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice for localized disease. The value of sentinel lymph node biopsy and lymphadenectomy is still unclear. Radiotherapy can be used as adjuvant therapy for the control of local disease. c-KIT mutations are more common than in other types of melanoma and this has led to significant advances in the use of imatinib for the treatment of metastatic mucosal melanoma.