• Shuangshuang Deng, Xiaobo Sun, Zhen Zhu, Jingjing Lu, Guanghua Wen, Xuejiao Chang, Hui Gao, Yanfei Hua, Lumei Wang, and Jinli Gao.
• Department of Pathology Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, #150 Jimo Road, Pudong, 200120, Shanghai, China.
• BMC Pulm Med. 2020 Apr 17; 20 (1): 94.

BackgroundMalignant melanoma (MM) generally presents as a primary neoplasm of the skin, and most MM cases of the respiratory system are metastatic. Primary MM of the lung (PMML) is quite rare, and its diagnosis is relatively difficult.Case PresentationWe report the case of a 57-year-old male patient with PMML who denied any history of tumours. His initial complaint was frequent coughs with bloody sputum for 4 days. Chest radiography demonstrated a high-density shadow in the lower lobe of the right lung, which was suspected to be a large space-occupying lesion on subsequent computed tomography (CT) and to be a hypermetabolic tumour by positron emission tomography-CT. To confirm the diagnosis, exploratory surgery was performed. Finally, we confirmed the diagnosis of PMML.ConclusionsPMML is extremely rare and easily misdiagnosed as lung cancer. Because of its morphological and immunophenotypic variations, the diagnosis of PMML remains difficult. This case report discusses the diagnosis and case management of a patient while referring to the existing literature.

15 keywords...

hide…