A case of malignant melanoma presented with lombar vertebra fracture

Abstract

Aims: Malignant melanoma is a type of skin cancer with a very poor prognosis. It is the most common skin cancer. Metastases are frequently observed in malignant melanoma, which can have a very aggressive course, even without skin findings. Here, we aimed to report a malignant melanoma case presenting with lumbar vertebra fracture, which is a unique form of presentation. Case description: A 31-year-old male patient was admitted to the internal medicine outpatient clinic with complaints of low back pain and inability to walk 15 days ago. After the first hour sedimentation value was found to be 101 in the examinations of the patient who came with the complaint of low back pain, he was referred to the hematology department with the preliminary diagnosis of multiple myeloma. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy was performed. Non-hematopoietic cells were observed in bone marrow aspiration. L2 vertebra fracture was detected in lumbar MRI of the patient with bilateral limitation of movement in the lower extremities. The patient with L2 vertebral fracture was transferred to the neurosurgery service for operation. The patient was diagnosed with malignant melanoma after the frozen biopsy sent after the operation and the previous bone marrow biopsy. Conclusions: Bone marrow infiltration can be seen in malignant melanoma patients. However, a malignant melanoma patient presented with lombar vertebra fracture has not been reported before in the literature.