ABSTRACT
Gynecologic melanomas are rare, accounting for fewer than 1% of all gynecologic cancers and only 2-3% of all melanomas (1). Melanomas are common in women who have had excessive exposure to the sun and may also occur in areas of the body not exposed to the sun in white women with a history of excessive sun exposure. The mechanism is unclear. It may be related to sun-induced circulatory melanocytestimulating factors such as melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Usually, melanocytes are derived from the neural crest. Most melanomas arise in the skin, but they may also arise from mucosal surfaces or at other sites to which neural crest cells migrate. Abnormal melanocytes may produce growth factors that upregulate melanoma growth. However, spontaneous regression of melanomas may be related to the immune system (1).
