Ultra late metastatic dissemination of a cutaneous melanoma of the leg along the site of a stripping.

Background. A woman was cured of a melanoma of the leg. She presented an ul tra late recurrence 17 years later, then rapid and extensive recurrence imm ediately after venous stripping. Case report. In 1977, a 38-year-old woman was operated for a SSM melanoma o f the calf. She was then given chemotherapy and BCGtherapy for 2 years. In 1994, she presented a nodular recurrence which was treated surgically. in M arch 1997, she underwent a stripping of the leg. One month later, a nodular recurrence was discovered along the stripping line. Discussion. The ultra late recurrence (> 15 years) in this case is highly e xceptional and, to our knowledge, this is the first case of a recurrence al ong a vascular course. We discuss metastatic dissemination of SSM melanoma and the role played by stripping in this case of recurrence.