We report a case of upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by a gastrointestinal stromal tumor in a 50-year old man. The patient was having melena for two months, and on admission he was hemodynamically stable. Upper G.I endoscopy showed diffuse gastritis and an extrinsic compressing mass in the upper part of the stomach. CT scan of the abdomen showed exophytic mass in the fundus of the stomach, with central necrosis. The patient was submitted to operative management. There were no features of dissemination but there was invasion of the hilum of the spleen. Wide local resection and splenectomy performed. Post operative course was complicated by a bleeding from the anastomotic site that required re-exploration and suturing of the bleeding vessel. Histologic examination revealed that it was composed of spindle-shaped cells with elongated nuclei. Post operatively the patient received adjuvant treatment with Imatinib [Gleevec]. The patient has an uneventful follow-up period so far.
Malignant melanoma involving the gastrointestinal tract is diagnosed antemortem in only a small percentage of patients with the disease. Presenting symptoms are often non-specific, causing a diagnostic problem. The vast majority of such melanomas are metastatic from a cutaneous primary, however there is evidence that the tumour can arise de novo in the gastrointestinal system. We report a 74-year-old man with malignant melanoma with an unusual presentation simulating a symptomatic gastric ulcer. He presented with epigastric pain, haematemesis and melaena. Explorative laparotomy revealed a large ulcerated tumour with several pigmented satellite nodules in the proximal stomach, multiple ileal nodules and widespread nodal and liver metastases. Proximal gastrectomy and limited small bowel resection was performed. Histology revealed the tumour to be composed of nests of epithelioid cells with melanin pigment. The tumour cells showed immunohistochemical positivity for S100 protein and HMB45 antibodies. This report emphasizes that melanoma should be a diagnostic consideration in patients with gastric ulcer.
A term newborn infant developed hypovolaemic shock shortly after birth. She was pale with gross hepatomegaly. She required multiple boluses of intravenous fluids, blood products as well as inotropic support. Blood investigations showed persistent thrombocytopenia, anaemia and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). She also developed heart failure. She finally succumbed on the eleventh day of life. Autopsy revealed haemangiomatosis involving the liver, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and adrenals.