A Rare Case of Pleural Melanoma Masquerading as a Tubercular Pleural Effusion

This case report highlights the case of an extremely rare case of primary pleural melanoma in a 15-year-old female with left-sided exudative pleural effusion with pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) in the tuberculosis range. Melanoma is an aggressive malignant tumor mainly arising from the skin, but very few cases have been reported of a primary melanoma arising from the pleura. In addition, this patient's pleural fluid ADA was in the tuberculosis suspect range, but a detailed analysis of the pleural fluid and pleural biopsy helped in pinpointing the diagnosis. Through this case, the entire pleural fluid analysis, including the pleural fluid routine microscopy, pleural fluid cytology, and even pleural biopsy in select cases, needs to be assessed in order to avoid misdiagnosis of tuberculosis.