2017 Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 82-88
We describe a case of a 49-year-old woman with a history of scalp melanoma that was excised 12 months previously. A follow-up PET-CT revealed focal FDG uptake in the right breast. A core needle biopsy was performed and histological examination showed that some cells contained melanin. The cells showed weak positivity for HMB45 and melan-A, and a diagnosis of metastatic melanoma was confirmed. The patient was treated with vemurafenib and showed an excellent response, initially. However, the right breast lesion regrew after 21 months. Despite switching to nivolumab, the lesion continued to grow. Imaging studies showed no other metastasis. Partial mastectomy was performed. Six months after the mastectomy, and 42 months after the breast metastasis diagnosis, the patient had no evidence of recurrence. Concurrent metastases to other organs are frequent ; however, solitary breast metastases from melanoma are extremely rare. If solitary metastasis is confirmed, partial mastectomy may improve prognosis. [Skin Cancer (Japan) 2017 ; 32 : 82-88]
