Primary pineal malignant melanoma.

Primary pineal malignant melanomas are a rare subset of primary central nervous system melanomas. This report presents the case of a 20-year-old female patient with a primary pineal region malignant melanoma who underwent endoscopic biopsy and adjuvant therapy. Her treatment consisted of stereotactic radiation to the pineal tumor, conventional whole-brain radiation and Temodar(R) for the disseminated disease. She required a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt for refractory ICP problems. This report details the clinical features of the case and summarizes the literature on a rare but aggressive neoplasm.