BRAF mutations might be more common than supposed in vulvar melanomas

Data on BRAF, NRAS and KIT mutations are scarce in patients with vulvo-vaginal melanomas and are associated with important therapeutic issues. We investigated their prevalence in a cohort of patients with female lower genital tract melanomas between 2003 and 2017. Of the 22 patients, 5 (22.7 %) harbored a BRAF mutation which was much higher than the rate of 5% reported in the literature. One patient, who was tested negative on the primary melanoma, had a NRAS mutation in a cutaneous metastasis. Our data provides a rationale for prospective and repeated mutations testing in female lower genital tract melanomas.