[Melanoma metastasis in the oropharynx]

Malignant melanomas of the upper respiratory tract are rare tumors but even rarer are their metastases in this region. Between 2% and 3.6% of malignant melanomas of the head and neck occur in the upper respiratory tract. We report a case history of a 48-year-old patient who underwent excision of a superficial spreading melanoma (tumor-thickness, 2 mm) from his trunk and later radical dissections of metastases in his axilla and groin. Chemotherapy with DTIC, an alpha-interferon, was performed. During follow-up, CT-scan demonstrated a 1 cm asymptomatic metastasis in the nasopharynx. Nasal endoscopy confirmed the CT finding as a dark tumor mass in the mucosa of the roof of the nasopharynx, close to Rosenmüller's fossa. Tumor was excised by a temporary split of the soft palate.