Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38104134›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical case reports2023

Primary malignant melanoma, an atypical presentation in the cervical spine: a case report.

Larrey Kasereka Kamabu, Louange Maha Kataka, Bives Mutume Nzanzu Vivalya, Franck Katembo Sikakulya, Hervé Monka Lekuya, Moses Galukande

Open access · goldAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical case reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 56% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 0 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Intramedullary primary spinal cord melanoma: illustrative case.Journal of neurosurgery. Case lessons · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Larrey Kasereka KamabuDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. kamabularry@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2046-5617
Louange Maha KatakaFaculty of Medicine, Université Catholique du Graben, Butembo, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Bives Mutume Nzanzu VivalyaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Masereka General Hospital, Goma, North-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Franck Katembo SikakulyaFaculty of Medicine, Université Catholique du Graben, Butembo, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hervé Monka LekuyaDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Moses GalukandeDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Kampala International University · UGUniversité Catholique du Graben · CDMakerere University · UGMulago Hospital · UG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFew studies have documented the occurrence of melanoma in the cervical spine. Of all malignant melanoma cases, 1% are primary melanoma of the central nervous system, which makes it extremely uncommon and nonspecific. We aim to report a case of the uncommon presentation of primary melanoma in the cervical spine. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 59-year-old Muganda male who presented with a 2-year history of anterior neck swelling as well as severe pain and a tingling sensation in the left shoulder and arm, which worsened in the recent 6 months. He developed weakness and paresthesia in the upper left arm and progressive gait disturbance of the left leg. A physical examination revealed masses in the left cervical and right submandibular region. Additionally, the upper and lower left extremities revealed hemiparesis and hemihypoesthesia. A magnetic resonance imaging scan showed a hyperintense lesion on TIWI and another hypointense lesion on T2WI, originating from the cervical spine and involving the vertebral bodies and paravertebral soft tissues. The patient underwent surgery, a black tumor was extracted, and histology revealed the tumor to be malignant melanoma. The patient died within 1 month after the diagnosis and surgery.

conclusionThis case is presented to highlight the significance and challenges associated with making a pre- and postoperative diagnosis of primary cervical melanoma with atypical radiological characteristics. Patients with extradural lesions that show hyperintensity on T1-weighted images and hypointensity on T2-weighted images should have spinal melanoma examined as a possible differential diagnosis.

Indexed as

MelanomaCervical VertebraeHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeckRadiographyCervical spineMalignant melanomaMRI

Identifiers

PMID38104134
PMCPMC10725590
OpenAlexW4389850545

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.