Clinicopathological characteristics, staging classification, and survival outcomes of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus

Clinical significance of genetic profiling based on different anatomic sites in patients with mucosal melanoma who received or did not receive immune checkpoint inhibitors

BACKGROUND

To date, data on the efficacy of targeted therapies for mucosal melanoma (MM) are limited. In this study, we analyzed genetic alterations according to the primary site of origin, which could provide clues for targeted therapy for MM.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 112 patients with MM. Targeted sequencing was performed to analyze genetic aberrations. Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted with the log-rank test to compare the significance among subgroups.

RESULTS

In total, 112 patients with MM were included according to the anatomic sites: 38 (33.9%) in the head and neck, 22 (19.6%) in the genitourinary tract, 21 (18.8%) in the anorectum, 19 (17.0%) in the esophagus, 10 (8.9%) in the uvea, and 2 (1.8%) in the small bowel. The most significantly mutated genes included BRAF (17%), KIT (15%), RAS (15%), TP53 (13%), NF1 (12%), SF3B1 (11%), GNA11 (7%), GNAQ (5%), and FBXW7 (4%). A large number of chromosomal structural variants was found. The anatomic sites of esophagus and small bowel were independent risk factors for progression-free survival (PFS, hazard ratio [HR] 4.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.42-9.45, P < 0.0001) and overall survival (OS, HR 5.26, 95% CI 2.51-11.03, P < 0.0001). Casitas B-lineage lymphoma (CBL) mutants showed significantly poorer PFS and OS. In contrast, MM patients who received immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) had a significantly more favorable OS (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.20-0.75, P = 0.008).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal the genetic features of patients with MM, mainly across six anatomic sites, offering a potential avenue for targeted therapies.

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus: A case report

BACKGROUND

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) is a rare malignant disease whose clinical and molecular pathological features, origin and pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment have not been elucidated.

CASE SUMMARY

In this paper, we report a case of a 73-year-old male with PMME. The patient complained of progressive dysphagia accompanied by substantial weight loss. Gastroscopy revealed a purple black bulging-type mass in the lower esophagus with easy bleeding on contact and scattered satellite lesions in the stomach. Histopathological biopsy revealed melanocytes in the esophageal mucosa. Physical examination and multidisciplinary consultation led to diagnostic exclusion of melanoma originating in other organs, such as the skin. Through this case report and literature review, we aimed to describe the clinical and molecular pathological features of PMME and summarize possible pathways of pathogenesis as well as cutting-edge therapeutic advances.

CONCLUSION

PMME is a rare malignancy of the esophagus with a poor prognosis. Clinicians should raise their awareness and be able to identify early lesions.

A CT-Based Radiomics Nomogram Model for Differentiating Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Esophagus from Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective

The diagnosis of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) before treatment is essential for clinical decision-making. However, PMME may be misdiagnosed as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) sometimes. This research is aimed at devising a radiomics nomogram model of CT for distinguishing PMME from ESCC.

Methods

In this retrospective analysis, 122 individuals with proven pathologically PMME (n = 28) and ESCC (n = 94) were registered from our hospital. PyRadiomics was applied to derive radiomics features from plain and enhanced CT images after resampling image into an isotropic resolution of 0.625 × 0.625 × 0.625 mm³. The diagnostic efficiency of the model was evaluated by an independent validation group.

Results

For the purpose of differentiation between PMME and ESCC, a radiomics model was constructed using 5 radiomics features obtained from nonenhanced CT and 4 radiomics features derived from enhanced CT. A radiomics model including multiple radiomics features showed excellent discrimination efficiency with AUCs of 0.975 and 0.906 in the primary and validation cohorts, respectively. Then, a radiomics nomogram model was developed. The decision curve analysis has shown remarkable performance of this nomogram model for distinguishing PMME from ESCC.

Conclusions

The proposed radiomics nomogram model based on CT could be used for distinguishing PMME from ESCC. Moreover, this model also contributed to helping clinicians determine an appropriate treatment strategy for esophageal neoplasms.

Primary esophageal melanoma: a case report

Primary esophageal melanoma remains a rare entity with less than 350 case reports noted in the current literature. This diagnosis is associated with a poor prognosis and early detection and management remains fundamental. In this report, we examine the case of an 80-year-old female who presented with a 1-year course of progressive dysphagia and weight loss. Investigations revealed a primary esophageal melanoma with no evidence of metastases. Pathology did not identify any targetable markers for systematic therapy and thus the patient successfully underwent a minimally invasive esophagectomy. Her postoperative course involved endoscopic esophageal dilatations due to an anastomotic stricture, as well as primary lung adenocarcinoma treated with radiotherapy but has otherwise remained without evidence of melanoma recurrence after 25 months from her surgery.

Clinicopathological characterization of ten patients with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus and literature review

BACKGROUND

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) is a rare malignant disease and has not been well characterized in terms of clinicopathology and survival.

AIM

To investigate the clinical features and survival factors in Chinese patients with PMME.

METHODS

The clinicopathological findings of ten cases with PMME treated at Henan Provincial People’s Hospital were summarized. Moreover, the English- and Chinese-language literature that focused on Chinese patients with PMME from 1980 to September 2021 was reviewed and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to investigate the clinicopathologic factors that might be associated with survival.

RESULTS

A total of 290 Chinese patients with PMME, including ten from our hospital and 280 from the literature were enrolled in the present study. Only about half of the patients (55.8%) were accurately diagnosed before surgery. Additionally, 91.1% of the patients received esophagectomy, and 88 patients (36.5%) received adjuvant therapy after surgery. The frequency of lymph node metastasis (LNM) was 51.2% (107/209), and LNM had a positive rate of 45.3% even when the tumor was confined to the submucosal layer. The risk of LNM increased significantly with the pT stage [P < 0.001, odds ratio (OR): 2.47, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.72-3.56] and larger tumor size (P = 0.006, OR: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.05-1.38). The median overall survival (OS) was 11.0 mo (range: 1-204 mo). The multivariate Cox analysis showed both the pT stage [P = 0.005, hazard ratio (HR): 1.70, 95%CI: 1.17-2.47] and LNM (P = 0.009, HR: 1.78, 95%CI: 1.15-2.74) were independent prognostic factors for OS. The median disease-free survival (DFS) was 5.3 mo (range: 0.8-114.1 mo). The multivariate analysis indicated that only the advanced pT stage (P = 0.02, HR: 1.93, 95%CI: 1.09-3.42) was a significant independent indicator of poor RFS in patients with PMME.

CONCLUSION

The correct diagnosis of PMME before surgery is low, and physicians should pay more attention to avoid a misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis. Extended lymph node dissection should be emphasized in surgery for PMME even though the tumor is confined to the submucosal layer. Both the LNM and pT stage are independent prognosis factors for OS, and the pT stage is the prognosis factor for DFS in patients with PMME.

The Thousand Faces of Malignant Melanoma: A Systematic Review of the Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Esophagus

Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Esophagus (PMME) is an extremely rare cancer of the esophagus, accounting for 0.1−0.8% of all oro-esophageal cancers and <0.05% of all melanoma subtypes, with an estimated incidence of 0.0036 cases per million/year. We conduct a careful analysis of the literature starting from 1906 to the beginning of 2022, searching the PubMed, Science.gov, Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases. A total of 457 records were initially identified in the literature search, of which 17 were duplicates. After screening for eligibility and inclusion criteria, 303 publications were ultimately included, related to 347 patients with PMME. PMME represents a very rare entity whose very existence has been the subject of debate for a long time. Over time, an increasing number of cases have been reported in the literature, leading to an increase in knowledge and laying the foundations for a discussion on the treatment of this pathology, which still remains largely represented by surgery. In recent times, the possibility of discovering greater mutations in gene hotspots has made it possible to develop new therapeutic strategies of which nivolumab is an example. Future studies with large case series, with clinicopathological and molecular data, will be necessary to improve the outcome of patients with PMME.

Clinicopathological Features, Staging Classification, and Clinical Outcomes of Esophageal Melanoma: Evaluation of a Pooled Case Series

Studies that have attempted to validate the staging systems and the predictors of survival for patients with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) have been underpowered given their scarcity and small scale. We aimed to review a large number of PMME cases to know more about its clinicopathological features, TNM staging systems, and survival predictors of PMME. Case reports on PMME were extracted from PubMed/Medline through bibliography search and our center. A total of 287 PMME cases were identified. The majority of the patient population was male (72.08%). The most common location of PMME was the lower esophagus (50.62%) and middle esophagus (35.39%). Among the patients, 82.28% received surgical intervention. The median overall survival (OS) duration was 15 months (0.5–244). The American Joint Commission on Cancer staging classification (AJCC) for the mucosal melanoma of the upper aerodigestive tract with stage IVB and IVC integrated in stage IVA showed better distribution of OS than that for esophageal carcinoma. T stage, N stage, and surgery had significant impacts on OS duration in univariate analysis. However, only T stage and N stage were identified as independent factors for OS duration in the multivariate Cox models. PMME is an aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. The AJCC staging system for mucosal melanoma with stage IVB and IVC integrated in stage IVA may be a better option for staging PMME patients. T stage and N stage are independent factors for OS.

Multimodality Imaging and Genetics of Primary Mucosal Melanomas and Response to Treatment

Mucosal melanomas (MMs) are rare and aggressive tumors that arise from melanocytes in the mucosal tissues that line the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urogenital tracts. Most MMs occur during the 6th and 7th decades of life. MMs may be asymptomatic but may also cause bleeding, pain, and itching, depending on the site of origin. Because of their asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic nature and the difficulty of visualizing them in some cases, they are often advanced tumors at patient presentation. MM staging varies depending on the site of the primary tumor. A simplified staging system allows classification of clinically localized disease as stage I, regional nodal involvement as stage II, and distant metastasis as stage III. MM differs genetically from its cutaneous counterparts. Common drivers in cutaneous melanoma such as B-raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) have a lower mutation rate in MM, whereas mutations of other genes including the KIT proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT) and splicing factor 3b subunit 1 gene (SF3B1) are more common in MM. Complete resection is the best curative option. However, surgical intervention with wide local excision and negative margins may be difficult to attain because of the local anatomy and the extent of disease. In addition, despite aggressive surgical resection, most patients develop local recurrence and metastatic disease. Recent advances in the treatment of melanoma include immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Unfortunately, MMs have a relatively poor prognosis, with an overall 5-year survival rate of 25%. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ^©RSNA, 2021.

Primary esophageal malignant melanoma successfully treated with anti-PD-1 antibody for retroperitoneal recurrence after esophagectomy: A case report

•

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) is a rare disease with a poor prognosis.

•

There are few reports of treatment with the anti-programmed cell death 1 antibody, nivolumab for PMME.

•

We report a case of retroperitoneal recurrence of PMME successfully treated with nivolumab.

Introduction

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. Here, we report a case of retroperitoneal recurrence of PMME successfully treated with the anti-programmed cell death 1 antibody, nivolumab.

Presentation of case

A 70-year-old male with dysphagia was referred to our hospital. Esophagogastroscopy showed an elevated tumor in the lower thoracic esophagus. A histopathological examination of the biopsy revealed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The patient was diagnosed with clinical T3N1M0 stage III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical esophagectomy. A postoperative histopathological examination revealed that atypical cells with a brown pigment were scattered in the tumor. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated positive expression of human melanoma black 45, melan A, and S100. A pathological diagnosis of PMME was confirmed. Sixteen months after surgery, abdominal computed tomography revealed solitary retroperitoneal recurrence in the lateral portion of the ascending colon. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) showed hypermetabolic accumulation with a maximum standardized uptake value of 5.8. The patient was treated with nivolumab (240 mg) every two weeks. After eight courses of nivolumab, abnormal accumulation of the retroperitoneal mass disappeared on PET, and this therapeutic effect continued for 20 months.

Conclusions

Nivolumab was effective for recurrence of PMME in our case. There are few reports of treatment with nivolumab for PMME. Further studies are necessary to establish the usefulness of nivolumab for PMME in the future.

Results of surgical treatment for primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus: A multicenter retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

Few large-sample research data sets exist on long-term survival and prognostic factors among patients with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME), a rare malignancy associated with poor outcomes. We sought to investigate postoperative survival and prognostic factors in patients with PMME.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed long-term follow-up results for patients with PMME who underwent surgery at 10 Chinese centers between January 1998 and January 2018. We performed uni- and multivariate analyses to investigate clinicopathologic factors associated with survival.

RESULTS

Median overall survival for the entire group (N = 70 patients) was 13.5 months. Female sex (hazard ratio [HR], 0.352; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.138-0.900; P = .029), ≥12 lymph nodes dissected (HR, 0.274; 95% CI, 0.133-0.563; P < .001), absence of lymph node metastasis (HR, 0.195; 95% CI, 0.084-0.451; P < .001), and postoperative adjuvant therapy (HR, 0.474; 95% CI, 0.249-0.901; P = .023) were factors of favorable prognosis. Preoperative pathologic diagnosis of PMME was as low as 47.1%. A high proportion of patients had lymph node metastasis, including those with early-stage tumors. Rates of lymph node metastasis were 54.2% (13/24) for pT1, 44.4% (12/27) for pT2, 57.1% (8/14) for pT3, and 100% (5/5) for pT4. Regional lymph node recurrence (N = 43 [61.4%]) was the predominant postoperative pattern of recurrence or metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

Female sex, pN0, increased number of lymph nodes dissected, and postoperative adjuvant therapy were associated with better outcomes among patients with PMME. Preoperative pathologic diagnosis of PMME was low, patients had lymph node metastasis (even those with early-stage tumors), and regional lymph node recurrence was common.

Advanced primary amelanotic malignant melanoma of the esophagus: A case report

BACKGROUND

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus accounts for 0.1%-0.2% of all esophageal malignancies, including melanotic and amelanotic melanomas. Primary amelanotic malignant melanoma of the esophagus is extremely rare, and only about 20 cases have been published in the literature to date. Most primary malignant melanomas of the esophagus are diagnosed following development of metastatic lesions and thus have a very poor prognosis. The median survival duration of patients with metastatic melanoma has been reported to be 6.2 mo.

CASE SUMMARY

A 49-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of esophageal cancer. Endoscopy, biopsy, imaging evaluation, and physical examination at our hospital indicated a diagnosis of advanced primary amelanotic malignant melanoma of the esophagus. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed melanoma. Nuclear medicine examination revealed a left iliac bone metastatic lesion. After discharge, the patient self-administered apatinib for 3 mo, followed by oral treatment with Chinese medicines (also self-administered) for 2 mo. No treatments had been taken since then. The patient has survived with no growth out to the most recent follow-up (24 mo post diagnosis), and she always presented with a positive attitude about her condition during this period.

CONCLUSION

Survival following metastatic melanoma might be related to the pharmaceutical and Chinese medicine treatment and the patient's positive attitude.

Clinicopathological presentations and surgical outcomes of esophageal melanoma

Background

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis; the optimal treatment strategy has yet to be established. This study aimed to clarify clinical features, courses, and outcomes of patients undergoing surgical resection of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus.

Methods

Six patients with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus, in whom the absence of other primary melanomas had been confirmed, were selected from the medical database maintained in Toranomon Hospital. Their clinicopathological characteristics and long-term outcomes were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.

Results

All 6 patients (five males and one female) underwent radical esophagectomy with three-field regional lymphadenectomy, and none received neoadjuvant therapy. Tumor invasion was classified into T1 in 5 (83%) cases and T3 in one (17%). Four (67%) patients had nodal metastases (one N1, one N2 and two N3). No distant metastatic lesions were detected preoperatively in any of our cases. Postoperative surveillance revealed recurrence in all 6 patients, and 5 (83%) died of the disease. The median overall survival was 24 months. One patient with a T3N3M0 tumor was treated after surgery with a dacarbazine-nimustine-vincristine regimen followed by irradiation for bone recurrence and survived for 87 months postoperatively. Another patient with a T1N3M0 tumor who survived for 27 months after liver and bone recurrence was treated with nivolumab, ipilimumab, and dacarbazine.

Conclusion

Although the courses of patients with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus were consistently unfavorable, surgical resection with multidisciplinary therapeutic modalities may prolong survival in some cases.

Clinicopathological characteristics and survival of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) has been reported to be a rare and highly malignant disease, and to date a standard treatment strategy has not been established due to limited evidence. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of this extremely rare disease. A total of 6 out of 2,093 patients with PMME treated in our institution between 1995 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed and their clinicopathological parameters including treatment course and long-term survival were investigated. The major clinicopathological characteristics of patients were that they were >70 years of age, male sex, dysphagia at first diagnosis, and macroscopic black protruding tumors located in the lower third of the thoracic esophagus. Four of the five patients receiving pretherapeutic endoscopic biopsy were correctly diagnosed with PMME, and two patients received preoperative treatment with ineffective histopathological responses. There were two unresectable cases, one was treated with an immune-checkpoint inhibitor and the other received palliative care. Three of the four patients receiving curative surgery developed hematogenous recurrence within two years of surgery and only one patient with pT1aN0M0 achieved long-term survival. The median overall survival of all six patients was 19.6 (6.4–40.5) months. Patients with stage I disease exhibited significantly more favorable prognoses than those with stage II–IV (P=0.025) and surgically-treated patients had significantly better prognoses than those who did not receive surgery (P=0.018). In conclusion, PMME was associated with highly malignant features and tended to develop hematogenous metastases even after radical resection. Early diagnosis appears to be important to cure this refractory disease.

Malignant melanoma of the esophagus complicated with poorly differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma of the stomach: A case report

RATIONALE

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) is a rare malignancy that only accounts for <2% of all primary esophageal tumors. Here, we report the even rarer occurrence of PMME in combination with poorly differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 64-year-old man was presented to the hospital with >1 month of eating dysphagia. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan only found a space-occupying lesion in the lower esophagus with moderate enhancement. However, gastroscope showed not only esophageal masses, but also gastric mucosa changes.

DIAGNOSES

Poorly differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma and PMME were diagnosed based on pathological biopsy and immunohistochemical methods.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient underwent laparoscopic gastric cancer radical surgery, esophageal resection, and colonic replacement of the esophagus.

OUTCOMES

Abdominal CT and esophagography performed 1 week after surgery showed that it was consistent with postoperative changes without other abnormalities. However, the patient died 3 months after discharge without receiving any other treatment.

LESSONS

This case suggests more attention should be drawn to the diagnosis of multiple primary malignant neoplasms in elder patients, and also highlights the need to fulfill comprehensive examinations before surgery in case of misdiagnosis. Besides, it is challenging to finding a reasonable treatment for such rare condition.