1983 Volume 25 Issue 8 Pages 1226-1230_1
Malignant melanoma originating in the esophagus has been found in only 65 patients including those in Japan and the Western countries, according to the report of Kreuser et al. in 1979. The number of the patients to whom operation is applicable is considered to be smaller. A 66-year-old man visited our hospital with a complaint of dysphagia. Fluoroscopic examination of the esophagus revealed a mass shadow with the smooth surface in the upper part of the esophagus and slightly irregular wall of the esophagus on the anal side. Endoscopic examination of the esophagus revealed a main grayish mass with the smooth surface and partially with ulcer 23-26 cm from the incisal line . Also on the anal side, blackish small protuberances were disseminated . This patient was diagnosed as having malignant melanoma from the findings of histopathological examination by biopsy. The size of the main mass was 1.5×1.0 cm. Small protuberances with chromatosis were disseminated in the area 2.0 cm on the anal side. Concerning the histopathological findings, proliferation of tumor on the boundary between the epidermis and the dermis was revealed by H-E staining in the main mass. Images of junctional changes were observed, and melanin granulen were demonstrated by Fontana's staining . Junctional changes were segmentally observed in the elevated lesion disseminated on the anal side, indicating the multifocal pathogenesis of the mass. No reginal lymph nodes were not involved at operation. This patient leads his life uneventfully at present (22 months after operation) .
