Conjunctival malignant melanoma in a young immunocompetent male patient: clinical presentation and management—a case report
Abstract Background Conjunctival melanoma is a rare yet aggressive ocular surface malignancy, with an incidence of approximately 0.2–0.8 cases per million individuals annually. It predominantly affects older adults, making its occurrence in younger individuals exceedingly rare and diagnostically cha...
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| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Medical Case Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-025-05421-w |
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| author | Mohammed Alhamood Bashar Sbh Ali Muhammad Imad Saadeh |
| author_facet | Mohammed Alhamood Bashar Sbh Ali Muhammad Imad Saadeh |
| author_sort | Mohammed Alhamood |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Conjunctival melanoma is a rare yet aggressive ocular surface malignancy, with an incidence of approximately 0.2–0.8 cases per million individuals annually. It predominantly affects older adults, making its occurrence in younger individuals exceedingly rare and diagnostically challenging. Case presentation We report a 30-year-old Syrian male presenting with a progressively enlarging pigmented lesion on the temporal-inferior conjunctiva of the right eye. The lesion, noted since adolescence, demonstrated significant growth over the past 3 years. Comprehensive clinical assessment and imaging studies confirmed the presence of a well-vascularized, mobile conjunctival lesion, with no evidence of intraocular extension. Surgical excision with 1 mm safety margins was performed, followed by ocular surface reconstruction using a cryopreserved amniotic membrane graft. Histopathological analysis revealed a malignant melanoma with epithelioid and spindle cell morphology and tumor-free margins. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, with full epithelialization by 1 week and no evidence of recurrence at the 1-year follow-up. Conclusion Timely diagnosis and a multidisciplinary surgical approach are essential for achieving optimal outcomes in conjunctival melanoma, particularly in young patients. Complete excision with negative margins combined with amniotic membrane grafting ensures effective oncologic control and functional ocular surface restoration. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8fd0558d099f4431aa981ca04eb417fa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1752-1947 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Medical Case Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-8fd0558d099f4431aa981ca04eb417fa2025-08-20T04:02:57ZengBMCJournal of Medical Case Reports1752-19472025-07-011911610.1186/s13256-025-05421-wConjunctival malignant melanoma in a young immunocompetent male patient: clinical presentation and management—a case reportMohammed Alhamood0Bashar Sbh1Ali Muhammad2Imad Saadeh3Department of Neurology, Tishreen Military HospitalDepartment of Ophthalmology, Tishreen Military HospitalDepartment of Ophthalmology, Tishreen Military HospitalMRCPirel, MABN, Department of Neurology, Tishreen Military HospitalAbstract Background Conjunctival melanoma is a rare yet aggressive ocular surface malignancy, with an incidence of approximately 0.2–0.8 cases per million individuals annually. It predominantly affects older adults, making its occurrence in younger individuals exceedingly rare and diagnostically challenging. Case presentation We report a 30-year-old Syrian male presenting with a progressively enlarging pigmented lesion on the temporal-inferior conjunctiva of the right eye. The lesion, noted since adolescence, demonstrated significant growth over the past 3 years. Comprehensive clinical assessment and imaging studies confirmed the presence of a well-vascularized, mobile conjunctival lesion, with no evidence of intraocular extension. Surgical excision with 1 mm safety margins was performed, followed by ocular surface reconstruction using a cryopreserved amniotic membrane graft. Histopathological analysis revealed a malignant melanoma with epithelioid and spindle cell morphology and tumor-free margins. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, with full epithelialization by 1 week and no evidence of recurrence at the 1-year follow-up. Conclusion Timely diagnosis and a multidisciplinary surgical approach are essential for achieving optimal outcomes in conjunctival melanoma, particularly in young patients. Complete excision with negative margins combined with amniotic membrane grafting ensures effective oncologic control and functional ocular surface restoration.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-025-05421-wConjunctival melanomaOcular surface tumorsAmniotic membrane graftSurgical excisionYoung adultCase report |
| spellingShingle | Mohammed Alhamood Bashar Sbh Ali Muhammad Imad Saadeh Conjunctival malignant melanoma in a young immunocompetent male patient: clinical presentation and management—a case report Journal of Medical Case Reports Conjunctival melanoma Ocular surface tumors Amniotic membrane graft Surgical excision Young adult Case report |
| title | Conjunctival malignant melanoma in a young immunocompetent male patient: clinical presentation and management—a case report |
| title_full | Conjunctival malignant melanoma in a young immunocompetent male patient: clinical presentation and management—a case report |
| title_fullStr | Conjunctival malignant melanoma in a young immunocompetent male patient: clinical presentation and management—a case report |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conjunctival malignant melanoma in a young immunocompetent male patient: clinical presentation and management—a case report |
| title_short | Conjunctival malignant melanoma in a young immunocompetent male patient: clinical presentation and management—a case report |
| title_sort | conjunctival malignant melanoma in a young immunocompetent male patient clinical presentation and management a case report |
| topic | Conjunctival melanoma Ocular surface tumors Amniotic membrane graft Surgical excision Young adult Case report |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-025-05421-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mohammedalhamood conjunctivalmalignantmelanomainayoungimmunocompetentmalepatientclinicalpresentationandmanagementacasereport AT basharsbh conjunctivalmalignantmelanomainayoungimmunocompetentmalepatientclinicalpresentationandmanagementacasereport AT alimuhammad conjunctivalmalignantmelanomainayoungimmunocompetentmalepatientclinicalpresentationandmanagementacasereport AT imadsaadeh conjunctivalmalignantmelanomainayoungimmunocompetentmalepatientclinicalpresentationandmanagementacasereport |