Palatal Melanoma: ʺThe Silent Killerʺ

Abstract

Primary melanoma of the oral cavity is extremely uncommon tumour consisting approximately 0.2 - 8.0% of all melanoma cases and 0.5% of all oral malignancies. It has an aggressive behaviour and poor prognosis, with 5 – year - survival rate between 5 - 20%. The initial symptoms are often unnoticed, which lead to late diagnosis and worsening of the prognosis. Because of its infrequent occurrence, there is no well - defined classification and therapeutic protocol, in contrast to melanomas of another side. Early diagnosis and treatment are essentially linked to survival rate. We present a case of palatal melanoma in a 76 – year - old female patient, as we want to emphasise the importance of the early detection and accurate diagnosis of melanoma of oral cavity, to its influence of the therapeutic outcome.