Aims: Sinonasal mucosal malignant melanoma (SNMMM) is a rare disease. The aim of the present study was to describe its clinicopathological features and prognosis in a Chinese population. Methods: Data on 83 SNMMM patients were collected and analyzed. A survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and a log-rank test. Results: The most common presenting symptoms of SNMMM were nasal obstruction, epistaxis, and bloody rhinorrhea. Histopathologically, 38 cases (45.78%) were amelanotic. Five cell types (epithelioid, undifferentiated, plasmacytoid, spindle, and clear) were identified. Positive staining for human melanoma black-45 and Melan-A was diagnostic of SNMMM. Advanced age, multiple tumor sites, and amelanotic-type SNMMM indicated a worse outcome (p = 0.008, p = 0.009, and p = 0.013, respectively). Neither adjuvant therapy nor the tumor stage was associated with overall survival. Conclusions: SNMMM is an uncommon disease with atypical symptoms. Its histopathological appearance is variable, especially in the amelanotic type. Thus, immunohistochemistry is important in the diagnosis, and it should be performed according to the histology.

Keywords:
Mucosal melanoma, Sinonasal malignancy, Pathology, Survival, Differential diagnosis
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2016
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