eng Science and Education Publishing American Journal of Medical Case Reports 2374-216X 2015-08-04 3 9 282 285 10.12691/ajmcr-3-9-5 AJMCR2015395 article Olufemi O Ariyibi 1 Olufemi K Ogundipe 2 Babatunde M Duduyemi babsdudu@yahoo.com 3 Department of Pathology, Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Nigeria Department of Dental Services, Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Nigeria Department of Pathology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana Oral melanoma is a rare aggressive neoplasm which accounts for only 0.2-8% of all reported malignant melanomas. The common sites of its occurrence are the palate and gingiva with the maxillary arch being affected 80% of the time. Because of their presence at relatively obscure areas in the oral cavity, most of the malignant melanomas of the oral cavity are diagnosed at a late stage. We report a case of oral melanoma in a 55-year-old post-menopausal woman who had surgical excision followed by chemo-radiation but suffered recurrence. The challenges of management and the poor prognosis of the case are emphasized in this case report. http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajmcr/3/9/5/ajmcr-3-9-5.pdf oral melanoma recurrence palate gingiva management challenges