Simultaneous Occurrence of Primary Malignant Melanomas of the Eye and the Skin

Abstract

The simultaneous occurrence of primary malignant melanomas of the skin and choroid has not been previously reported. Also, the literature contains only five references to familial ocular melanomas. Therefore, the following case merits attention, for it illustrates both of these unusual circumstances. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> The patient is a 72-year-old white married housewife from West Virginia who was admitted to the surgical service of the National Cancer Institute on June 5, 1957. Six years prior to admission she first noted a flat brown spot near the lateral canthus of the right eye. The lesion was repeatedly treated by electrocautery in the following years. Initially she received two treatments per year; then, owing to progressive enlargement, four times yearly and eventually monthly. Nine months prior to admission she first observed a discrete nodule forming at the lateral canthus at the site of the original lesion, and three months thereafter she