CUTANEOUS MALIGNANT-MELANOMA AND OCULODERMAL MELANOCYTOSIS (NEVUS OF OTA) - REPORT OF A CASE AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

A 29-year-old white man, with oculodermal melanocytosis, had a rapidly enlarging, erythematous, painful nodule over his left brow, within th e nevus, The lesion was excised and diagnosed as a malignant melanoma. Systemic evaluation showed no evidence of distant disease. This is th e tenth case reported of a cutaneous melanoma developing in a nevus of Ota. Melanoma arising in the choroid, brain, orbit, iris, ciliary bod y, or optic nerve in association with a nevus of Ota is well documente d. Careful observation is necessary in patients with a nevus of Ota, p articularly in white patients, in whom malignant degeneration seems to occur with a disproportionate frequency.