Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus: A case report

Figure 1 Coronal reformat of a contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography demonstrates a solid enhancing mass with soft tissue attenuation in the middle third of the esophagus (arrow) causing obstruction and proximal dilatation. The distal third of the esophagus (arrowheads) is unremarkable.

Figure 2 Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy of the patient. A: Soft polypoid tumor protruding to the esophageal lumen, located 25cm to 35cm from the incisors; B: A closer view of the lesion shows that tumor surface is darker than esophageal mucosa due to its melanin content.

Figure 3 Histopathological findings. A: Hematoxylin and eosin staining discloses crowded rounded or elongated cells within distinct cytoplasm and hyperchromatic nuclei (magnification, x 100); B: Immunohistochemical study for HMB45 (anti-melanoma protein mAb). The positive reaction (brown cytoplasmic reaction) supports the diagnosis of malignant melanoma (magnification, x 100).