Primary malignant melanoma of the lung: a case report

Primary malignant melanoma of the lung is a very rare disease with about 40 cases reported in English literature. We report a 49-year-old female with history of 2 month chest pain who was revealed to have a peripheral lung mass in left upper lobe by chest CT scan. Left upper lobectomy was performed and post-operative pathology revealed to be primary malignant melanoma of the lung. 4 months after operation, a node in right breast was found by patient herself and needle aspiration biopsy revealed to be breast cancer. The patient refused any diagnostic and therapeutic procedure and died of extensive metastasis 3 months later. Primary malignant melanoma of the lung is highly malignant disease with poor prognosis in most patients.