Pulmonary metastatic melanoma: current state of diagnostic imaging and treatments

Abstract

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer with an estimated incidence of over 160,000 cases annually and about 41,000 melanoma-related deaths per year worldwide. Malignant melanoma (MM) primarily occurs in the skin but has been described in other organs. Although the respiratory system is generally afflicted by tumors such as lung cancer, it is also rarely affected by primary MM. The estimated incidence of pulmonary MM of the lung accounts for 0.01% of all primary lung tumors. The current understanding of pulmonary MM of the lung pathophysiology and its management are not well established. We aim to survey current clinical modalities with a focus on diagnostic imaging and therapeutic intervention to guide providers in the management of patients with a high index of suspicion.