Primary Malignant Melanoma of Anorectum: A rare entity

The anorectum is a rare anatomic location for primary melanoma. It portrays worse prognosis than cutaneous melanoma, with distant metastases being the overwhelming cause of morbidity and mortality. Surgery is the treatment of choice, but significant controversy exists over the extent of surgical resection. We report a case of primary anorectal malignant melanoma. A 70 year old female with history of bleeding per rectum. On colonoscopy she had a growth per rectum with HPE suggestive of malignant melanoma. Abdominoperineal resection was done and patient was kept under followup. Subsequently she developed pulmonary and hepatic metastasis. Primary anorectal melanoma is an uncommon and aggressive disease that carries a poor prognosis. Therefore, it is necessary to provide systemic treatment. To improve prognosis, it is important to detect anorectal melanoma at an early stage.