Malignant melanoma in a Hispanic male with nevus of Ota

Abstract

Nevus of Ota is uncommon in the non-Oriental population. We report a case of malignant melanoma with metastasis to the genitourinary tract in a Hispanic male with nevus of Ota. Thirty-six prior cases of nevus of Ota with malignant melanoma reported in the English language are reviewed. Sixty-eight percent were women; 76% were Caucasians. Metastatic disease was reported in 16%. Three patients had liver metastases. Our case was the first involving the genitourinary tract. All but one patient with metastatic disease died within 1 month of presentation. Despite the increased frequency of nevus of Ota in the Japanese, only 4 cases of malignant melanoma have been reported. Nevus of Ota would appear to be a risk factor for developing malignant melanoma in the Caucasian population.