Melanocyte colonization of nodal metastasis from oral carcinoma

Melanocyte colonization of metastases in cervical lymph nodes is described. The tumor was a squamous carcinoma of the floor of the mouth, metastasizing to cervical lymph nodes. The melanocytes were easily visible on sections of the nodes stained with hematoxylin and eosin and were confirmed by Masson-Fontana staining. Multiple sections through the oral primary tumor failed to show melanocyte colonization of the tumor. This is the second report of this phenomenon and represents only the third known case of this entity.