The challenge of primary gastric melanoma: a systematic review.

Aim: Primary gastric melanoma is a rare clinical presentation. The purpose of this review was to compare the 1-year survival in patients who underwent surgery with patients who did not receive treatment.

Patients & Methods: A systematic search of databases for case reports and case series of primary gastric melanoma was conducted.

Results: The mean survival of patients was 22 months. One-year survival was 56.5% with surgery, rising to 66% with adjuvant therapy. Mean survival of the surgical group was 21.05 months (±20.2) versus 4.5 months (±3.61) in the nonsurgical group.

Conclusion: Primary gastric melanoma has a poor prognosis but early surgical intervention can have a significant impact on patient outcome. We reviewed the biology and clinical diagnosis of gastrointestinal melanoma and the current management options available.