DESMOPLASTIC RECIDIVE OF A MELANOMA OF THE FEMALE URETHRA

We report a case of melanoma of the female urethra, recurring on the v ulva as a desmoplastic invasive melanoma. The urethral tremor was art unclassifiable melanoma with an invasive epithelioid, and an intraepid ermal atypical melanocytic component. The desmoplastic recidive was ma de of intersecting fascicles of spindled moderately atypical cells, sc attered over a dense collagenous matrix. Tumor cells were immunoreacti ve far S100 protein and vimentin, negative for HMB45. The morphologica l and immunophenotypic differences with the initial tumor, the absence of melanocytic dysplasia within the overlying epidermis, could lend t o a misinterpretation of this lesion as a fibrous scar or a fibrohisti ocytic tumor Desmoplastic melanoma shares many homologies with acrolen tiginous and mucous membrane melanoma and could occur more frequently on the genitourinary tract than it is generally assumed.