Primary vaginal malignant melanoma: A rare entity with review of literature

Abstract

Primary vaginal malignant melanoma (PVMM) is an extremely rare tumor of the female genital tract, accounting for only 3% of melanomas of the female genital tract and 0.3%-0.8% of all melanomas in females. Vaginal melanoma is a very aggressive tumor with a 5-year survival rate of 5%-25%. High incidence of recurrence, spread to regional lymph nodes, and distant metastasis are responsible for poor prognosis of PVMM. Grossly, amelanotic melanoma of the vagina may be mistaken for other primary vaginal malignancies. Differentiation of malignant melanoma from other primary vaginal melanomas is essential because of better prognosis of most of other vaginal malignancies as compared to melanoma. Despite having poor prognosis, early detection and early treatment of PVMM may improve the prognosis.

Keywords: Female genital tract; malignant melanoma; primary vaginal malignant melanoma.