A rare case of primary spinal cord melanoma

Primary central nervous system melanoma is rare, accounting for approximately 1% of total melanoma cases (1-3). Primary central nervous system melanoma localized to the spinal cord is even rarer. The cervical and thoracic levels are most frequently involved. There are no pathognomonic imaging characteristics and diagnosis must be confirmed immunohistologically. The preferred treatment is gross total resection. Utilization of adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy may improve disease-free survival. The prognosis for primary central nervous system melanoma is generally better than that of metastatic and cutaneous melanoma, although there are relatively few cases from which to draw conclusions. We report a case of a 64-year-old woman diagnosed with primary spinal melanoma of the thoracic spine treated with subtotal surgical resection followed by adjuvant radiation therapy.