Background
Melanoma is a life-threatening malignancy that affects melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) found throughout the body. Melanomas are of two types: cutaneous and non-cutaneous. Cutaneous melanomas, which account for approximately 95% of all melanomas, originate in the pigment-producing cells of the skin. On the other hand, non-cutaneous (non-skin) melanomas affect other regions of the body including the eyes and mucous membranes, such as those present in nasal passages and the oral cavity.
Although it is a rare disease, uveal melanoma is the most common form of non-cutaneous melanoma, and it is the most frequent primary cancer of the eye in the adult [1]. Uveal melanoma is known to affect ~7000 individuals worldwide annually [2], with incidence rates ranging from 0.2 to 0.3 per million individuals in African and Asian populations to up to 6 per million in white populations [3]. Diagnosis usually occurs at age 60, and this cancer is more prevalent among Caucasians.
In most cases, UM forms in the choroid: the vascular layer of the eye lying between the sclera and the retina. Symptoms that may be exhibited by UM patients include but are not limited to: variable and painless visual disturbances, discoloration of the iris, change the shape of the pupil, or loss of peripheral vision.