Kazacheuskaya L, Arora K. Esophageal melanosis: Two case reports and review of literature. World J Gastroenterol 2024; 30(42): 4557-4565 [PMID: 39563752 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i42.4557]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Kshitij Arora, MBBS, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health, 1501 Kings Hwy Medical School Building B, Room 2-318C, Shreveport, LA 71103, United States. kshitij.arora@lsuhs.edu
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2024; 30(42): 4557-4565 Published online Nov 14, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i42.4557
Esophageal melanosis: Two case reports and review of literature
Liubou Kazacheuskaya, Kshitij Arora
Liubou Kazacheuskaya, Kshitij Arora, Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health, Shreveport, LA 71103, United States
Author contributions: Kazacheuskaya L and Arora K designed the research study, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patients for the publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Kshitij Arora, MBBS, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health, 1501 Kings Hwy Medical School Building B, Room 2-318C, Shreveport, LA 71103, United States. kshitij.arora@lsuhs.edu
Received: July 26, 2024 Revised: September 29, 2024 Accepted: October 14, 2024 Published online: November 14, 2024 Processing time: 97 Days and 10 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Esophageal melanosis (EM) is a rare condition characterized by melanin pigmentation in the esophageal mucosa. It is not well understood and has been documented in less than 100 cases worldwide.
CASE SUMMARY
We report two cases of African American patients who complained of significant weight loss (over 20 pounds in approximately six months) and abdominal pain during their first visit. The first case involves a 54-year female with a history of hepatic steatosis and polysubstance abuse, who also experiences nausea and vomiting. The second case is a 59-year-old male with hypertension and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), who was diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Both cases show benign melanocytes in the basal layer on the esophagus biopsy and are diagnosed as EM.
CONCLUSION
It is important to note that EM has been associated with malignancies such as carcinoma and melanoma. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and appropriate management are crucial. Patients with EM, especially those with concurrent risk factors (e.g., GERD, smoking), should be carefully monitored for any signs of malignancy.
Core Tip: Esophageal melanosis is a rare condition. Its causes and natural progression are not fully understood. Some studies have reported an association with malignancy and as a potential precursor for malignancy. Extended research is required to establish an additional correlation for this rare entity.
