J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2008 Aug;49(8):1289-1296. 10.3341/jkos.2008.49.8.1289.

Epidemiologic and Clinical Features of Uveal Melanoma in Korean Patients

• Bae JH
• Song WK
• Koh HJ
• Kwon OW
• Lee SC

• KMID: 2211734
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2008.49.8.1289

Abstract

PURPOSE
To investigate the epidemiologic and clinical features of uveal melanomas in Korean patients.
METHODS
The medical records of 35 patients (35 eyes) with the diagnosis of uveal melanoma between September 2004 and December 2006 were reviewed retrospectively.
RESULTS
Of the 35 patients, 22 were males (62.9%) and 13 were females (37.1%), with a mean age at diagnosis of 48.2+/-14.1 years (range, 24-82 years). Decreased visual acuity was the most common symptom in 23 patients (65.7%), while 6 patients (17.1%) were detected without prior symptoms. The shape of the uveal melanoma was dome-shaped in 27 eyes (77.1%) and mushroom-shaped in 8 eyes (22.9%). The mean largest basal diameter of the tumors was 9.0+/-3.3 mm (2.4-19.0 mm), and the mean apical height was 6.2+/-2.6 mm (1.1-13.0 mm). The tumors were classified according to their size; a small melanoma was found in 4 eyes (11.4%), a medium melanoma in 29 eyes (82.9%), and a large melanoma in 2 eyes (5.7%).
CONCLUSIONS
Uveal melanomas manifest earlier in Korean patients than in Caucasian patients. At the time of diagnosis, 33 eyes (94.3%) had small or medium melanomas that could be treated.

Keyword

Clinical feature; Epidemiology; Korean patients; Uveal melanoma

MeSH Terms

Eye
Female
Humans
Male
Medical Records
Melanoma
Retrospective Studies
Uveal Neoplasms
Visual Acuity
Melanoma
Uveal Neoplasms

Figure

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  Figure 1. The number of patients with uveal melanoma increases gradually with age, but it decreases suddenly after 61 years old.

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  Figure 2. (A) A 79-year-old female. Darkly pigmented, medium-sized juxtapapillary tumor is associated with exudative retinal detachment. (B) On B-scan ultrasonography, the tumor is dome-shaped with regular internal echogenecity. (C) A 49-year-old male. ‘Collar-button’, or mushroom-shaped subretinal tumor is a pathognomonic finding of uveal melanoma. (D) The tumor has low to medium internal reflectivity with typical sound attenuation on A-scan ultrasonography.

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  Figure 3. This graph demonstrates strong linear correlation between the largest basal diameter and apical height of uveal melanoma, with Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.68 (P<0.001).

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  Figure 4. The tumors were located entirely posterior to the equator for all small tumors and 72.4% of the medium tumors, whereas no small tumor and only 27.6% of the medium tumors were located anterior to the equator.

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