Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus: A rare entity diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration

摘要

Primary melanoma of the esophagus is a rare entity. Here we describe a case of primary esophageal melanoma diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). We discuss characteristic cytologic features and differential diagnoses as well as emphasize the importance of adequately triaging an EUS-FNA specimen. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of esophageal melanoma diagnosed by EUS-FNA. A 47-year-old woman presented with dysphagia. Endoscopic examination revealed a 15-mm ulcerated sub-mucosal lesion in the upper esophagus, 25 cm from the incisors (Fig. 1A). Ultrasonic examination showed a sub-mucosal hypoechoic lesion (Fig. IB). EUS-FNA of this lesion was performed. There was another hypoechoic sub-mucosal lesion located at 20 cm; this lesion was not biop-sied. No enlarged periesophageal, mediastinal or celiac lymph nodes were seen.