Summary
Laparotomy revealed jejunal intussusception and histopathological staining confirmed the melanoma diagnosis. No other distant metastases other than the jejunum were revealed after extensive investigation.
Original Article
Relapse of Melanoma Presenting as Jejunal Intussusception
Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice
Özdede, M; Güven, AT; Yerebakan, MB
Abstract
Melanoma is a relatively rare tumour with tendency to metastasize to the gastrointestinal tract. Metastasis to the intestine constitutes a majority of the gastrointestinal tract melanoma metastases and confers a poor prognosis. While post-mortem studies detect that more than half of the melanoma patients have gastrointestinal tract metastasis, only minority are diagnosed, and even rarer present with intussusception. Intussusception, mainly a paediatric entity, is also seen among adult patients with underlying inflammatory bowel disease or tumour. In this report, we describe a patient with a melanoma in remission who presented with intestinal obstruction after months of vague abdominal complaints. Laparotomy revealed jejunal intussusception and histopathological staining confirmed the melanoma diagnosis. No other distant metastases other than the jejunum were revealed after extensive investigation.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank surgeon Faruk Öztürk for acquiring the relevant images during surgery.