It is often intriguing to suspect and confirm the diagnosis of primary malignant melanoma
(PMM) in the brain without any evidence of neurocutaneous melanosis. We report a 16-year-old
male patient with malignant melanoma which intraoperatively was small sized, soft,
fleshy, hemorrhagic in appearance resembling hematoma. Interestingly, the histopathology
showed prominent papillary architecture with a differential diagnosis of papillary
meningioma and ependymoma and perplexed the tissue diagnosis. This case is discussed
in light of very uncommon occurrence of intracranial PMM in pediatric age group, enigmatic
histological features, and aggressive nature of lesion with rapid progression despite
complete excision following radiation therapy.
Key-words:
Immunohistochemistry - intracranial - paediatric - primary malignant melanoma - prognosis