Hexaminolevulinate Blue-Light Cystoscopy in a Patient with Metastatic Melanoma of the Bladder

Although bladder cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed tumors worldwide, metastatic melanoma of the bladder is a rare occurrence with only 29 cases reported in the literature.

We present the case of a 60-year-old male with a medical history significant for metastatic melanoma, who was referred to the urology department for gross hematuria. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) was performed with the assistance of hexaminolevulinate acid (HAL) with blue-light cystoscopy (BLC). Subsequent histopathologic analysis of the specimen confirmed a diagnosis of metastatic melanoma of the bladder. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of metastatic bladder melanoma diagnosed with the assistance of HAL-BLC in a patient undergoing a TURBT.

Although HAL-BLC is only indicated for use in the cystoscopic detection of papillary nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer, it may aid in the detection of nonconventional bladder pathologies, such as melanoma.