Nasopharyngeal melanoma: An unusual entity

Nasopharyngeal melanoma is a rare condition with an estimated incidence of about 0.3/10 lac per year and has a slight female predominance. It can arise from stem melanocytes and mature melanocytes of the submucosa that have acquired genetic alterations, may be due to tobacco, trauma and oxidative stress. It resembles other common polypoidal lesions; therefore, histopathological examination with immunohistochemistry plays a pivotal role in confirming the diagnosis. Lack of specific clinical features often leads to a delay in diagnosis.