[Metastatic malignant melanoma of the urinary bladder: a case report]

A 77-year-old male was admitted to our department with the chief complaint of positive occult blood in urine on July 30, 1984. Endoscopically, we found a dark red tumor on the left posterior wall of the urinary bladder, which seemed to have coagula covering it. On August 31, transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TUR-Bt) was performed, and the pathological interpretation was malignant melanoma. Dermatologically and ophthalmologically, we could not found the primary foci. A month later, cystoscopy demonstrated multiple blue black spots consistent with diffuse melanoma of the bladder. On May 7, 1985, he was admitted to our clinic with right hypochondralgia. On physical examination, the liver was palpable with an irregular surface, and the echogram showed multiple metastasis in the liver. TUR-Bt was carried out again, on May 17, 1985. Ultrastructually resected specimens demonstrated a lot of mature melanosomes in the tumor cells. The course of the patient progressively worsened, and he died on May 30, 1985. At autopsy, we found metastases in the central nervous system, bone, genitourinary tract, gastrointestinal tract and other organs. The left eye ball, which had been diagnosed as ophthalmomalacia by glaucoma six years earlier, was filled by a melanoma mass, and it seemed to be the primary foci.