Neurotropic malignant melanoma: a novel treatment approach combining modified microscopically controlled surgery and...

Treatment of neurotropic malignant melanoma of the nasal ala combining microscopically controlled surgery and examination of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue cut in the horizontal plane followed by S100 immunohistochemical staining is described. The spindle-shaped cells were strongly S100 positive and detection of the melanoma cells, which were embedded in a dense collagenous stroma and infiltrating into the neurovascular spaces, was greatly accentuated by the S100 immunohistochemical stain. The coordinated skills of the dermatologic surgeon, dermatopathologist, and plastic surgeon contributed toward the best treatment for neurotropic melanoma in this patient.