Preprint Review Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Soft Tissue Sarcoma Mimicking Melanoma: A Systematic Review

Fortunato Cassalia
ORCID logo ,
Francesco Cavallin
ORCID logo ,
Andrea Danese
,
Paolo Del Fiore
* ORCID logo ,
Claudia Di Prata
,
Marco Rastrelli
,
Anna Belloni Fortina
ORCID logo ,
Simone Mocellin
Version 1 : Received: 20 June 2023 / Approved: 21 June 2023 / Online: 21 June 2023 (11:51:22 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Cassalia, F.; Cavallin, F.; Danese, A.; Del Fiore, P.; Di Prata, C.; Rastrelli, M.; Belloni Fortina, A.; Mocellin, S. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Mimicking Melanoma: A Systematic Review. Cancers 2023, 15, 3584. Cassalia, F.; Cavallin, F.; Danese, A.; Del Fiore, P.; Di Prata, C.; Rastrelli, M.; Belloni Fortina, A.; Mocellin, S. Soft Tissue Sarcoma Mimicking Melanoma: A Systematic Review. Cancers 2023, 15, 3584.

Abstract

Background: Sarcoma may show similarities to malignant melanoma in terms of morphologic and immunohistochemical aspects, hence making it difficult to differentiate between these two neoplasms during the diagnostic process. This systematic review aims to summarize available evidence on cases of sarcoma that were initially diagnosed as melanoma. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted including MEDLINE/Pubmed, EMBASE and SCOPUS through March 2023. We included case series and case reports of sarcoma patients that were initially diagnosed as malignant melanoma. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Results: Twenty-three case reports and four case series with a total of 34 patients were included. The clinical presentation was heterogeneous, and the most involved anatomical regions were lower limbs (24%), head/neck (24%) and upper limbs (21%). IHC positivity was reported for S100 (69%), HMB45 (63%), MelanA (31%) and MiTF (3%). The main reasons for second assessment were unusual presentation (48%) and uncertain diagnosis (28%). EWSR1 translocation was investigated in 17/34 patients (50%) and found positive in 16/17 (94%). The final diagnosis was clear cell sarcoma (50%) or other soft tissue sarcomas (50%). Conclusions: Melanoma and some histotypes of sarcoma share many similarities. In case of atypical lesions, a second diagnosis should be considered, and ESWR1 translocation should be investigated.

Keywords

Melanoma; Sarcoma; Mimicking.

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Oncology and Oncogenics

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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