Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy: a case report

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy (MNTI) is a rare clinically benign, pigmented, tumor of neural crest origin which commonly occurs in the maxilla. It is a rare tumor that may pose difficulty in differentiating from other malignant round cell tumors.

A 5-month-old Ethiopian infant presented with a mass on his forehead. A wide excision of the lesion was done and subjected to histopathologic evaluation. The histologic and immunohistochemistry for synaptophysin studies confirmed that the infant was having MNTI. The patient was followed and there was no sign of recurrence at the 6th and 9th months of follow-up.

MNTI should be considered as a differential diagnosis for tumors occurring in the head region in infants and prolonged follow-up may be needed to check for possible recurrence of the tumor.