Prolonged survival in a patient with metastatic malignant melanoma.

We report the case of a young,woman initially treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and BCG therapy Sol stage II malignant melanoma involving the li,nbs. Considering that the risk of metastasis is usually maximal between 2 and 5 years after initial treatment, metastatic dissemination of this,melanoma was rather unusual. Metastases were observed locally, regionally, and irt the lungs 8, 10 and 12 years respectively after the primary diagnosis. Repeat surgery was performed to resect pulmonary nodules. Such surgery is possible in less than 10% of the cases of,metastatic melanoma. Our patient has survived without relapse for 2 years after the initial diagnosis and 8 years after the last tumor excision. Recurrent pulmonary metastasis without extrapulmonary dissemination would suggest the tumor cell population was composed of a particular metastatic phenotype.