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Vol.38 No.1 contents | Japanese/English |
- Case Report -
A Case of Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Lung
Yuzo Yoshimi, Kazuhiro Okafuji and Hiroaki Kobayashi*Fukuiken Saiseikai Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Surgery*
A 83-year-old man was admitted with lumbago and back pain. An abnormal shadow was pointed on chest X-ray film. CT-guided lung biopsy was performed, and the pathological diagnosis was malignant melanoma. Various investigations failed to reveal any other lesion. He died of respiratory failure three months after the first admission. On autopsy, systemic metastases were found but there was no other suspected primary lesion except that in the left lung. Pathologically "junctional change" was found in the lower lobe of the left lung. Based on these findings, we diagnosed primary malignant melanoma of the lung. Primary malignant melanomas of the lung are very rare and only about 30 cases have been reported. The prognosis is very poor. Patients died within one year in most cases.
key words: Malignant melanoma, Primary lung tumor
Received: October 31, 1997
Accepted: December 12, 1997
JJLC 38 (1): 75-79, 1998
