Oral Malignant melanoma in an HIV patient

Abstract

Oral malignant melanomas are aggressive tumors in head and neck region, rarely seen in HIV patients. By suppressing immunity, HIV might be increasing the severity of malignant tumors. Oral malignant melanomas are associated with poor prognosis, due to their aggressiveness. Of clinical importance, the prognosis of oral malignant melanomas in HIV patient is still not well understood. Presented is a 44-year-old female, HIV seropositive with a swelling on the lower lip for five months. Management involved antiretroviral therapy, surgical excision of the lesion and regional lymph nodes, with chemotherapy. Avoidance of preoperative insult and aggressive therapy offers a relatively better prognosis. Irrespective of lesion size, aggressive treatment is needed for oral malignant melanoma._________________________________________________________________________Keywords: Mouth Diseases, Melanoma, Histopathology, Non-communicable Diseases, Epidemiology, AIDS and Head and Neck