Uveal melanoma

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Uveal Melanoma is cancer (melanoma) of the colored part of the eye and the surrounding areas (uvea).

It is different from skin melanoma, since it is not related to solar exposure. However, People with lighter skin and blue eyes have an increased risk of this type of cancer.

The cancer can occur in three different locations: the iris, the ciliary body, and the choroid at the back of the eye.

[edit] Treatment

Primary treatment used to be removal of the affected eye (enucleation); however, this is now reserved for cases of extreme tumor burden or other secondary problems. Advances in radiation therapies have significantly decreased the number of patients treated by enucleation.

The most common radiation treatment is by way of a small disc-shaped shield (plaque) encasing radioactive seeds (most often iodine, though some centers prefer ruthenium) attached to the outside surface of the eye, overlying the tumor. The plaque is left in place for a few days and then removed. There is no difference in risk of metastasis between enucleation and plaque radiotherapy.

Other modalities of treatment include transpupillary thermotherapy with a laser, external proton beam therapy, resection of the tumor, or rarely a combination of different modalities.

[edit] Prognosis

Primary site of metastasis is the liver in most patients, less likely the lungs.

Approximately fifty percent of patients will develop metastases within 15 years.

Average survival time after diagnosis with liver metastases is 8 to 10 months.