Poursina Olia, Karki Susan, Qiu Jingxin
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Elm and Carlton St., Buffalo, NY 14263, United States.
J Surg Case Rep. 2025 Mar 25;2025(3):rjaf144. doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjaf144. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Pleural effusion caused by metastatic melanoma is uncommon, occurring in only 2% of cases, and is associated with a poor prognosis. Despite its rarity, it is critical to consider melanoma as a potential underlying cause when evaluating pleural effusion, especially in patients with a history of melanoma. Most metastases occur within the first 3-5 years after diagnosis. This case report highlights an unusual presentation of amelanotic pleural effusion that developed 12 years after the initial melanoma diagnosis. The prolonged latency emphasizes the importance of long-term follow-up for patients and maintaining a high suspicion of melanoma when evaluating metastatic pleural effusion.
转移性黑色素瘤引起的胸腔积液并不常见，仅在2%的病例中出现，且预后较差。尽管其罕见，但在评估胸腔积液时，尤其是有黑色素瘤病史的患者，将黑色素瘤视为潜在的病因至关重要。大多数转移发生在诊断后的最初3至5年内。本病例报告强调了一例无黑色素性胸腔积液的不寻常表现，该胸腔积液在最初诊断黑色素瘤12年后出现。这种较长的潜伏期强调了对患者进行长期随访以及在评估转移性胸腔积液时对黑色素瘤保持高度怀疑的重要性。
