We report a case of penile malignant melanoma that was treated with partial penectomy. A 93-year-old man noticed a black nodule within a pigmented macule on his glans penis. There was no palpable inguinal lymphadenopathy.
Histopathologically, it was malignant melanoma with a Breslow's tumor thickness of 6mm and Clark level 5 invasion. Staging with a computerized tomography showed no evidence of metastasis. Partial penectomy with a 3cm skin margin from the pigmented macule was performed. The patient was in good condition and without evidence of local recurrence or metastasis for eight months. Bilateral inguinal lymphnode metastases, which were found nine months after the operation, were treated by a local injection of interferon-beta. The quality of life of the patient has been well maintained as high as before the operation. [Skin Cancer (Japan) 2003; 18: 308-311]
