Uveal Malignant Melanoma
摘要
Uveal malignant melanoma (MM), the most common primary intraocular malignancy in the adult population, is actually, a rare tumor with an incidence of 5–6/1,000,000. Most uveal MMs (85%) are choroidal MMs located posterior to the equator, and a smaller proportion (10–15%) are iris and ciliary body MMs located anterior to the equator. This section will discuss only choroidal MMs. They are diagnosed at a mean age of 55 years and tend to be more common in males and whites. The risk of metastasis and mortality is higher in patients with monosomy 3 (loss of a chromosome 3 homolog). While tumors located close to the fovea may cause symptoms such as blurred or distorted vision in the early period, peripheral tumors are usually diagnosed incidentally during routine examination. Rarely, very advanced tumors can also present as a painful, red eye. In addition, since some tumors may present with abundant vitreous hemorrhage, a careful examination should be made in terms of the appearance of a mass on ultrasonography, especially in patients with advanced age who present with vitreous hemorrhage.