[Primary malignant melanoma of the lung and lower respiratory tract]

After detailed analysis of the international special literature, the authors found--together with their own two patients--only 18 cases, considered primer malignant melanoma of the lower respiratory tract and/or lung. Of the accepted criteria, they dispute the obduction's absolute evidentiary role, because among primer patients there are the most who survives, even a decade. In seven cases tumour was located endobronchially and in one patient in the trachea. It was manifested endobronchially and on the dependent lung-areas, simultaneously in two patients and merely parenchymally, in eight. There was a successful resection in fourteen of 18 cases. Survival was influenced primarily by the operability depending on distension of the tumour. Besides procedures forming opinions, bronchoscopy and histological examinations of bioptatum gained this way play a greater role than usual in determining the tumour's primarity, localisation, operability and type of surgery, respectively. Namely, only operated patients can rely on a long survival.