Abstract

DESENTIS-SUAREZ, Nicolás; AVECILLA-GUERRERO, Carlos A.; RAMIREZ-OCAMPO, Ana L.  and  JUAN-ROMERO, Ana San. Acute appendicitis secondary to melanoma. Gac. mex. oncol. [online]. 2020, vol.19, suppl.1, pp.6-9.  Epub Feb 14, 2022. ISSN 2565-005X.  https://doi.org/10.24875/j.gamo.20000019.

Malignant melanoma represents the first cause of death as a result of skin cancer on a global scale. This elevated mortality rate is due to its high metastatic potential and its poor response to systemic therapies available in advanced stages. Primary treatment is surgery. Half of all patients have gastrointestinal metastases, although only a minimum percentage presents symptoms. Metastasis presentation as acute appendicitis is rare and the exact incidence is unknown, it is limited to a series of case reports. We present a 67-year-old woman diagnosed with malignant melanoma, treated with surgical resection, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, who presented acute appendicitis one year after the initial diagnosis. Whenever a patient presents suggestive acute abdomen, with a history of malignant melanoma, even in remission, a manifestation of metastasis should be suspected.

Keywords : Malignant melanoma; Metastasis; Perforated appendicitis.