[Polypoid malignant melanoma. An aggressive, seldom observed variant of nodular malignant melanoma]

We describe a 54-year-old man with a polypoid melanoma. The tumour had developed within 1 year. Physical examination showed an eroded pedunculated nodule approximately 2.5 x 3 cm in size. Histopathology revealed a pedunculated, sharply demarcated tumour with an eroded surface; it was composed of atypical melanocytes in sheets and nests. Physical examination 11 months after excision of the tumor with 3-cm safety margin disclosed no evidence for enlarged lymph nodes or cutaneous metastases. No metastases were seen on computer tomography. To our knowledge, this patient represents the first case of polypoid melanoma reported in the German literature.