Melanoma metastatic to the head and neck

A 42-year-old man presented with a two-week history of right-sided otalgia, deafness and nocturnal tinnitus. Examination revealed a black mass on the posterior meatal wall. Two years before presentation, he had a malignant melanoma removed from the left hip region. Biopsy of the lesion in the posterior canal wall and another which had developed within two weeks on the anterior wall, confirmed metastatic disease. Treatment with radiotherapy and later chemotherapy were unsuccessful and the patient died 15 months later.