Oral malignant melanoma: systematic review of literature and report of two cases

Abstract

Oral malignant melanoma (OMM) is a rare tumor of the oral cavity with very poor prognosis despite the implementation of an aggressive treatment. This paper aims to shed some light on current evidence for management of OMM. We report 2 cases of OMM treated at our institute and a review of the literature in an endeavor to establish current understanding on various aspects of OMM. Both patients in our study are showing good local control with aggressive multimodal treatment. Long-term follow-up is needed to rule out distant metastasis. Because late diagnosis and advanced disease at the time of diagnosis are the only sure predictors of outcome, thorough clinical and pathologic workup of any suspected melanotic lesion should be carried out to diagnose OMM. Early diagnosis and aggressive multimodal treatment are the only means available to surgeons to provide better outcome to patients with OMM.