A Chinese man whose gums turned black was suffering from an extremely rare form of melanoma, doctors have said.
The 45-year-old, who was otherwise healthy and not in any pain, had been suffering with severely discoloured gums for four weeks before he sought medical help.
The 45-year-old, who was otherwise healthy and not in any pain, had been suffering with severely discoloured gums for four weeks before he sought medical help.
The area that had turned black measured around 1.5cm (0.5in) by 4cm (1.5 inches), the doctors reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The patient was suffering what's known as mucosal melanoma - a rare form of melanoma that accounts for less than five per cent of cases.
Melanocytes, the pigment producing cells of the body, are also present in the mucosal surfaces of the body, lining the sinuses, nasal passages, oral cavity, vagina, anus and other areas.
Also, because there are no clear risk factors - including family history - diagnosis often comes late and survival rates are low.
Five year survival rates for mucosal melanoma are around 40 per cent, compared to more than 90 per cent for cutaneous. There are around 120-130 cases of mucosal melanoma diagnosed each year in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK.
In this case, however, once doctors discovered the man's black gums were due to cancer, they removed the affected parts of the gum plus a 2cm margin of the surrounding area, according to the case notes.
The patient was suffering what's known as mucosal melanoma - a rare form of melanoma that accounts for less than five per cent of cases.
Melanocytes, the pigment producing cells of the body, are also present in the mucosal surfaces of the body, lining the sinuses, nasal passages, oral cavity, vagina, anus and other areas.
Also, because there are no clear risk factors - including family history - diagnosis often comes late and survival rates are low.
Five year survival rates for mucosal melanoma are around 40 per cent, compared to more than 90 per cent for cutaneous. There are around 120-130 cases of mucosal melanoma diagnosed each year in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK.
In this case, however, once doctors discovered the man's black gums were due to cancer, they removed the affected parts of the gum plus a 2cm margin of the surrounding area, according to the case notes.
Tests revealed that cancer had not spread and six months later, the cancer had not reappeared.
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