Malignant melanoma in a patient with oculocutaneous albinism.

BACKGROUND

Sun-induced malignancies (basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas) are common in oculocutaneous albinism, however, the incidence of malignant melanoma is a topic of controversy.

OBJECTIVE

We have reviewed the literature and report a case of a woman with oculocutaneous albinism with an amelanotic melanoma of the anterior chest wall.

RESULTS

There are only 26 previously reported cases (both case reports and African albino population studies) in 25 patients in the literature. A 27th case with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural evaluation is presented.

CONCLUSIONS

It appears that melanoma, a malignancy for which sun exposure and light colouration are felt to be major risk factors, has a low incidence among a population that is both hypopigmented and often exposed to high levels of ultraviolet light. This low incidence is poorly understood and frequently disputed.