A successfully treated malignant melanoma arising in a large congenital vulvar blue nevus

Dermatol Ther. 2020 Nov;33(6):e13821. doi: 10.1111/dth.13821. Epub 2020 Jul 13.

Abstract

An atypical cellular blue nevus, a benign mass, may sometimes transform into a malignant melanoma. Here, we report a rare case of melanoma arising in a large congenital vulvar blue nevus. A 28-year-old Chinese woman presented to our hospital with a chief complaint of a vulvar mass that had persisted for 8 years. The patient underwent extensive local excision, followed by reconstructive surgery of the female reproductive tract. The mass was diagnosed as being a vulvar malignant melanoma. Postoperatively, the patient received interferon immunotherapy and recovered without complications. No evidence of recurrence was observed after 32 months of follow-up. Our case thus shows that comprehensive treatment with surgery supplemented by immunotherapy can be effective against a malignant melanoma arising in a vulvar blue nevus.

Keywords: blue nevus; immunotherapy; malignant transformation; vulvar melanoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Melanoma* / surgery
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
  • Nevus, Blue* / diagnosis
  • Nevus, Blue* / therapy
  • Skin Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Vulvar Neoplasms* / surgery