Malignant melanoma presenting as amelanotic caruncular lesion in a child

Abstract

Conjunctival melanoma is a rare malignant neoplasm that can present in childhood in any part of the conjunctiva. The infrequency with which conjunctival melanoma is encountered in childhood caruncular lesions makes it a formidable but important aspect of the differential diagnosis. We report the case of a 10-year-old boy who presented with a left caruncular lesion. On histopathologic analysis, the lesion was determined to be BRAF-negative invasive melanoma arising in association with melanocytic nevus. The melanoma was excised using no-touch technique and double freeze thaw cryotherapy. A full systemic work-up revealed no metastasis or abnormality.