Abstract
Melanotic oncocytic metaplasia (MOM) of the nasopharynx is a rare lesion that occurs mostly in Asian men in their 60s to 70s who are heavy smokers. Although it is a benign lesion, it’s sometimes mistaken for malignant melanoma, nevus or early nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A 75 year-old male visited our outpatient clinic with hearing loss that occurred a week earlier. Otoscopic findings revealed left serous otitis media. A nasopharyngoscopic examination to rule out a malignant tumor in the nasopharynx revealed multiple black nodules in the left torus tubarius and left nasal floor. Under local anesthesia, some of nodules were excised for histopathology. The histological examination revealed oncocytic metaplasia of mucous glands and the presence of numerous brown-colored melanin pigments. Immunohistochemically, S 100-positive and HMB 45-negative dendritic melanocytes were identified. During 3 months of regular follow up, there was no recurrence at the excision site and no expansion of the remaining lesion. (J Clinical Otolaryngol 2020;31:88-93)
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