Cervix

Other tumors

Malignant melanoma

Author: Branko Perunovic, D.M.

Topic Completed: 1 May 2007

Minor changes: 17 May 2021

Copyright: 2007-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

PubMed Search: Melanoma cervix [title]

Page views in 2020: 1,708

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Table of Contents

Cite this page: Perunovic B. Malignant melanoma. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/cervixmelanoma.html. Accessed December 3rd, 2021.

Definition / general

Rare; < 100 cases reported; more common in vulva and vagina
Usually postmenopausal women with vaginal bleeding (Cytojournal 2010;7:25)
Poor prognosis with historical 5 year survival of 40% with stage I disease (Gynecol Oncol 1989;32:375, Zhonghua Fu Chan Ke Za Zhi 2005;40:183)

Case reports

33 year old Japanese woman with clear cell variant (Gynecol Oncol 2001;80:409)
39 year old woman with vaginal bleeding (Indian J Cancer 2005;42:201)
63 year old woman with S100 negative tumor (Int J Gynecol Pathol 1999;18:265)
67 year old woman with vaginal bleeding (Anticancer Res 2003;23:1063)
Patient with radiation induced malignant melanoma (Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2000;12:234)
Amelanotic metastatic tumor presenting as cervical polyp (Acta Cytol 1985;29:612)

Gross description

Gray blue black nodule

Microscopic (histologic) description

Often small cell and spindle cell variants
Junctional activity present in < 50%, variable melanin pigment
Stromal infiltration by malignant cells

Microscopic (histologic) images

AFIP images

Small cell variant (common in vagina)

Epithelioid cells

Prominent junctional activity

Cytology description

Tumor cells with occasional cytoplasmic brown pigment, often bizarre shape; hyperchromatic and irregular nuclei, prominent nucleoli
Also necrosis, occasional mitotic figures

Cytology images

AFIP images