Conjunctival amelanotic melanoma presenting as a multifocal pink lesion

Matthew Keith Kenworthy1, Sarah Jane Kenworthy2, Paolo De Guzman3

  • 1Ophthalmology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia drmkenworthy@gmail.com.

BMJ Case Reports
|January 3, 2023
PubMed

Conjunctival amelanotic malignant melanoma is a rare form of melanoma, which lacks visible pigment and is commonly located underneath the eyelids in the bulbar conjunctiva. In this report, we described a case of a Caucasian women in her 70s who presented with unilateral irritation and tenderness following cataract surgery. On eversion of the eyelid, two elevated pink lesions were noted. Tumour - Node - Metastasis staging with the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system eighth edition was T3C and required multiple excisions and reconstruction procedures. This case exemplified the diagnostic pitfall of conjunctival amelanotic malignant melanoma, which is a potentially life-threatening disease and the importance of histopathology in the diagnostic process.