Late metastases (beyond ten years) of cutaneous malignant melanoma. Literature review and case report.

A case of late metastasis of a primary malignant melanoma of the sole of the foot after a disease-free interval of 13 years in a premenopausal woman is presented. The clinicopathologic findings are described, and the literature concerning late metastases (beyond 10 years) of melanoma is reviewed. Only seventeen documented cases have been previously reported, to which we add our own case. Sixteen of these eighteen cases concerned premenopausal women. This phenomenon suggests that female gonadal hormones may exert an inhibitory effect on cutaneous melanoma, hence lengthening the disease-free interval.