A dark intruder – primary oral mucosal melanoma

Authors

  • Harish Kumar Department of Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
  • Dhinesh Department of Pathology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
  • Pooja Doley Department of Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
  • Kuttappan Akhila Department of Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
  • Abhishek Bhardwaj Department of ENT, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
  • Shalinee Rao Department of Pathology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
  • Sweety Gupta Department of Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20261482

Keywords:

Oral mucosal melanoma, HMB-45, Melan A, Aggressive

Abstract

Oral mucosal melanoma is an infrequent and rapidly progressive malignancy, accounting for approximately 0.5% among all oral cancers, and is associated with poor prognosis. It is frequently detected at an advanced stage, often with involvement of regional lymph node, due to its rapid progression and painless initial phase. The primary treatment is surgical excision, often followed by adjuvant radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy which lowers the risk of recurrence and distant metastasis. In this article, we describe a patient with oral mucosal melanoma of the left superior gingivobuccal sulcus, managed with palliative radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy due to inoperability and financial constraints. A brief review of the literature is also included.

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Author Biographies

Harish Kumar, Department of Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Junior Resident

Dhinesh, Department of Pathology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Junior Resident

Pooja Doley, Department of Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Junior Resident

Kuttappan Akhila, Department of Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Junior Resident

Abhishek Bhardwaj, Department of ENT, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Associate Professor

Shalinee Rao, Department of Pathology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Professor

References

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Published

2026-05-18

How to Cite

Kumar, H., Dhinesh, Doley, P., Akhila, K., Bhardwaj, A., Rao, S., & Gupta, S. (2026). A dark intruder – primary oral mucosal melanoma. International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery. https://doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20261482

Issue

Section

Case Reports