• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.66-72
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• 2018

Objectives: Desmoplastic melanoma of the oral cavity is an extremely rare condition that is often confused on initial diagnosis with non-melanotic benign lesion or spindle cell tumors. The purpose of this article was to raise awareness of the disease using a literature review. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 19 desmoplastic melanoma cases reported in the literature and added our experience. Data on clinical, histopathology, treatment, and survival were retrieved and analyzed. Survival analysis was by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Initial clinical and histopathological features were indistinctive, and a definite diagnosis of desmoplastic melanoma at initial assessment was possible in only 23.5% of cases. Among tests, immunohistochemical studies for S-100 and vimentin were all positive. The 5-year disease-free survival rate for oral desmoplastic melanoma was 0%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 55.0%. Conclusion: Oral desmoplastic melanoma has a high percentage of initial misdiagnosis and propensity for local recurrence. Thus, careful initial diagnosis and adequate surgery may result in improved overall survival.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.38-41
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• 2020

An 11-year-old castrated male miniature Schnauzer, weighing 8 kg, presented with multiple masses on the humeri. Grossly, the masses were separated from the surrounding soft tissues. Desmoplastic melanoma is an uncommon tumor in dogs. Fine-needle aspiration cytology showed large spindle-shaped cells with a high nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio. Histopathology showed interlacing bundles of fibroblast-like cells, highly pleomorphic multinuclear cells, occasional atypical spindle cells separated by fibrocollagenous stroma, and lymphocyte aggregates admixed with abundant collagen. The tumors were diffusely positive for S100a, a strong marker for desmoplastic melanoma, and negative for desmin. Herein, we report the pathobiology of a rare, uncommon variant of melanoma in a dog.