Metastases of Melanoma of the Skin in the Gallbladder (A Rare Clinical Case)

Melanoma is a highly malignant tumor with a tendency to early and aggressive metastasis. Melanoma metastases in the gallbladder are found in 20% of patients with melanoma according to autopsy data, however, intravital detection of metastases is a rare case in clinical practice, which is associated with the asymptomatic course of the disease in 85% of patients. The prognosis for detecting a secondary lesion of the gallbladder in melanoma is extremely unfavorable due to late diagnosis and the high probability of concomitant metastasis. The key to prolonging survival of these patients is early detection of metastases and initiation of immediate and radical treatment. The presented clinical observation demonstrates an example of identifying metastasis of skin melanoma to the gallbladder after a two-year remission of the disease. As in most cases, the course of the disease was asymptomatic, and the reason for planned surgical treatment was the formation of the gallbladder, presumably a polyp or a conglomerate of stones, which were identified by computed tomography. Metastasis of skin melanoma to the gallbladder was confirmed by pathohistological examination of the surgical material. In patients with a history of melanoma, a thorough examination of the hepatobiliary tract should be carried out using the most informative diagnostic techniques for the timely detection of metastatic foci.