{"id":8413,"date":"2012-12-29T17:34:06","date_gmt":"2012-12-29T17:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T10:06:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T09:06:34","slug":"tipi-particolari-di-melanoma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Special types of melanoma"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"im26-diagnosis-guide\">\n<nav class=\"im26-dg-toc\" aria-label=\"On this page\"><strong>On this page<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-orientamento\">Site, variant and stage: different information<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-occhio\">Eye melanoma: the uveal pathway<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-snc\">Nervous system: primary or metastatic?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-mucose\">Mucosal disease and links to rare forms<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<aside class=\"im26-dg-related\">\n<h2>Explore this section<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Anatomical sites<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-dell-occhio\/\">Eye melanoma<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-of-the-central-nervous-system\/\">Melanoma of the Central Nervous System<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/primary-melanoma-of-the-mucous-membranes\/\">Primary melanoma of the mucous membranes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-orientamento\">\n<h2>Site, variant and stage: different information<\/h2>\n<p>Melanoma arises from melanocytes, cells found mainly in the skin but also in other tissues. Not every melanoma is therefore a primary skin tumour. The eye, certain mucosal surfaces and, very rarely, meningeal structures can be sites of origin. Identifying the site matters because biology, investigations and treatment may differ.<\/p>\n<p>This section organises special forms by anatomical site. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/\">Rare variants of melanoma<\/a> mainly covers microscopic descriptions and uncommon clinical settings. The pathways connect: a mucosal location and an unusual cellular appearance can coexist. Stage answers a different question: how far the disease has spread.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-occhio\">\n<h2>Eye melanoma: the uveal pathway<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-dell-occhio\/\">Eye melanoma<\/a> includes different conditions. Uveal melanoma arises in the iris, ciliary body or choroid, whereas conjunctival melanoma is distinct and does not automatically follow the same pathway. The uvea is the eye\u2019s pigmented vascular layer; the choroid is its posterior portion.<\/p>\n<p>The eye melanoma page introduces symptoms, investigations and treatment. It leads to dedicated pages on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-dell-occhio\/melanoma-dell-iride\/\">iris melanoma<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-dell-occhio\/melanoma-del-corpo-ciliare\/\">ciliary body melanoma<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-dell-occhio\/choroidal-melanoma\/\">choroidal melanoma<\/a>. Diagnosis requires expertise in ocular oncology; an external photograph cannot exclude an internal lesion.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-snc\">\n<h2>Nervous system: primary or metastatic?<\/h2>\n<p>When melanoma affects the brain or meninges, the first distinction is between metastasis from another site and an exceptionally rare primary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-of-the-central-nervous-system\/\">central nervous system<\/a> melanocytic tumour. They are not synonyms. Establishing the origin, MRI and tissue assessment when indicated guide care.<\/p>\n<p>The dedicated page also distinguishes neurocutaneous melanocytosis, a congenital condition that is not automatically melanoma. Neurological symptoms need medical assessment; sudden deficits or seizures require urgent care.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-mucose\">\n<h2>Mucosal disease and links to rare forms<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/primary-melanoma-of-the-mucous-membranes\/\">Primary mucosal melanoma<\/a> involves sites including the sinonasal and oral regions, anorectal area and genital mucosa. This is a site-based category rather than one histological form. Its detailed page remains available within the rare-forms pathway and is linked here to make it easier to find.<\/p>\n<p>For comparison with skin melanomas, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/common-types-of-melanoma\/\">common types of melanoma<\/a>. Do not apply a survival figure or treatment from a different site to uveal or mucosal melanoma; the evidence must fit the individual situation.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<aside class=\"im26-dg-related\">\n<h2>Continue reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-dell-occhio\/\">Eye melanoma<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-of-the-central-nervous-system\/\">Melanoma of the Central Nervous System<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/primary-melanoma-of-the-mucous-membranes\/\">Primary melanoma of the mucous membranes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/\">Rare variants of melanoma<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/guides\/diagnosis\/\">The diagnostic pathway<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/guides\/treatment\/\">Understanding treatment<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-sources\">\n<h2>Sources and update<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/types\/eye\/hp\/intraocular-melanoma-treatment-pdq\">NCI \u2014 Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma Treatment (PDQ)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/types\/skin\/hp\/melanoma-treatment-pdq\">NCI \u2014 Melanoma Treatment (PDQ)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Editorial revision: 17 October 2026. This information does not replace medical assessment. For very rare variants, some evidence comes from small series or case reports.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Melanomas arising outside the skin: a pathway through eye, central nervous system and mucosal disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":4144,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8413","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Special types of melanoma - Il Melanoma<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Melanoma, a form of skin cancer, can occur in various parts of the body, including the eye and the central nervous system (CNS).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Special types of melanoma - 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