Metastatic Melanoma Presenting as Intussusception in an 80-Year-Old Man: A Case Report

Malignant melanoma of the gastrointestinal tract is an uncommon neoplasm that could be primary or metastatic. Small intestine represents the most common site for the metastatic melanoma; however, it could be found anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract. Intussusception is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in adults compared to children. In 90% of the cases, the underlying cause can be found, and in 65% of the cases, intussusception is caused by the neoplastic process. The majority of the neoplasms are benign, and about 15% are malignant. Metastatic melanoma is one of the most common metastatic malignancies to the gastrointestinal tract; however, the premortem diagnosis is rarely made. Here, we report an uncommon clinical presentation of metastatic melanoma causing intussusception in an 80-year-old man. This diagnosis should be considered in a differential diagnosis in any patient who presents with gastrointestinal symptoms and a history of melanoma. 1. Introduction The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a common site of metastasis from malignant melanoma, but reports of related small bowel intussusceptions are rare [1]. Herein, we report a case of intussusception caused by metastatic malignant melanoma. 2. History and Operative Findings The patient is an 80-year-old man with a history of coronary artery disease, status post multiple stents requiring the use of Plavix and aspirin, cardiomyopathy with automatic cardioverter defibrillator implantation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastritis, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and multiple resections for malignant melanoma from the left neck and right thigh. The patient had sentinel lymph node biopsy, which was found to be positive. He then had adjuvant radiation therapy. In 2011, the patient presented with gastrointestinal bleeding. He had previous GI bleeds thought to be related to GERD and gastritis. The initial endoscopy ruled out the upper and lower GI as a source of bleeding. However, a capsule endoscopy evaluation showed bleeding beyond the duodenum. The patient underwent another endoscopy where a jejunal tumor was found and biopsies were taken. The pathology report confirmed the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. The patient underwent a surgical resection where an area of small bowel intussusception was visualized. 3. Pathology A 19？cm segment of small intestine was resected which showed an area of intussusception (Figure 1(a)). The specimen was opened to reveal an exophytic polypoid gray-purple mass measuring 4 × 3 × 1.5？cm causing the telescoping of the bowel segment (Figure 1(b)).