Endoscopic diagnosis of melanoma

Background. Although skin melanoma is a tumour which can be localised visually, its current diagnosis remains unsatisfactory. Skin melanoma exhibits an extremely diverse clinical presentation and a highly variable progression of the neoplastic process. Aim. To analyze our experience in diagnosing metastatic melanoma of the gastrointestinal tract. Materials and methods. The paper presents data from endoscopic and morphological studies of 29 patients who were diagnosed with metastatic melanoma with lesions of the gastrointestinal tract at the Department of Endoscopy the N. Blokhin National Medical Research Centre of Oncology. Results. Among the patients there were 12 (41.3 %) men and 17 (58.6 %) women, whose average age was 50 and 53 years, respectively, the majority of metastatic lesions of the gastrointestinal tract were asymptomatic, only 4 (13.8 %) patients had the disease accompanied by complaints such as difficulty passing food, in 2 cases (6.9 %) episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding were detected. In 7 (24.1 %) cases, the source of metastasis was not identified. The features of the manifestation of metastatic melanomas include the frequently combined lesions of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum. In rare cases, there is a combination of pigmented and pigmented forms of melanoma. Conclusion. Given the high potential for regional metastasis, the ability of melanoma to disseminate through the skin, the occurrence of multiple metastases even in the absence of local growth, and its often asymptomatic progression in gastrointestinal organs, the diagnostic protocol should encompass the full spectrum of endoscopic techniques. This includes esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy, utilizing advanced methods such as narrow-band imaging, magnification, or a combination of both. Biopsy samples should be taken for morphological, cytological, and immunological analysis. Additionally, comprehensive diagnostic methods such as immunoscopy should be employed.