Spindle anorectal melanotic melanoma in a 70 year old woman

A 70 year old lady presented with symptoms of changed bowel movements and rectal bleeding. She was operated and the resected specimen of intestine was brought to Department of pathology for histopathological examination. The specimen was fixed in 10% formal saline. Tissue bits were taken from the representative areas in the mass for further fixation and processing. Sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and thoroughly examined under microscope for establishing the diagnosis of Spindle variant of melanotic melanoma. Anorectal melanomas are rare malignancies and an infrequent occurrence in the seventh decade of life. The aim was to evaluate a pigmented anorectal mass and establish its diagnosis in a 70 year old woman by thorough histopathological examination.