Melanoma of the face and mouth in Nigeria. A review and comment on three cases.

The absolute incidence of melanoma at all sites in blacks is higher than is commonly credited. There is a shift in site incidence to less pigmented areas including the mucosae but oral melanoma is still rarely reported in Africans. An unusual case of facial melanoma arising in a childhood naevus, and two oral melanomas, all in Nigerians, are described. The salient clinical features and the treatment of these cases are discussed, and the possible relationship between pigmented patches and melanomas in the mouths of blacks is examined.