Amelanotic malignant melanoma of the vulva : Case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Amelanotic vulvar melanoma is a rare and unique type of malignant melanoma, which is difficult to differentiate clinically from other malignancies due to the absence of melanin pigmentation. Furthermore, lack of melanin pigmentation leads to the difficulties of operation due to the ill-defined border of the tumor. The difficulties in diagnosis and treatment aggravate the poor prognosis. We report a case of amelanotic malignant melanoma of the vulva, which required three resections until a pathologically negative margin was obtained. When a red nodule of the vulva is observed, we need to consider the chance of melanoma and undertake treatment as soon as possible.[Skin Cancer (Japan) 2014 ; 29 : 171-175]