Journal List > J Korean Ophthalmol Soc > v.49(8) > 1008050

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Bae, Song, Koh, Kwon, and Lee: Epidemiologic and Clinical Features of Uveal Melanoma in Korean Patients
Original Article

J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2008;49(8):1289-1296.

Published online: 7 September 2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2008.49.8.1289

Epidemiologic and Clinical Features of Uveal Melanoma in Korean Patients

Jeong Hun Bae, M.D., Won Kyung Song, M.D., Hyoung Jun Koh, M.D., Oh Woong Kwon, M.D., Sung Chul Lee, M.D.

Department of Ophthalmology, The Institute of Vision Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Address reprint requests to Sung Chul Lee, M.D. Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Yonsei University #134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-140, Korea Tel: 82-2-2228-3570, Fax: 82-2-312-0541, E-mail: sunglee@yuhs.ac.kr

Received 2 May 2008       Accepted 9 November 2007

Copyright © 2008 Korean Ophthalmological Society

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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.

Keywords: Clinical feature, Epidemiology, Korean patients, Uveal melanoma

References

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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.
jkos-49-1289f1.tif
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.
jkos-49-1289f2.tif
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).
jkos-49-1289f3.tif
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.
jkos-49-1289f4.tif
Table 1.
Demographic data of uveal melanoma
Gender (N*)
Male 22 (62.9%)
Female 13 (37.1%)
Age (years)
Range 24~82
Overall 48.2±14.1†
Male 48.6±13.7
Female 47.6±15.5
Eye (N)
Right 17 (48.6%)
Left 18 (51.4%)

* N=number of patients;

† Mean±standard deviation.

Table 2.
Distribution of the uveal melanomas by size group
Tumor size Number of patients Apical height (mm) Largest basal diameter (mm) H-B ratio*
Small 4 2.0±0.7† 4.8±1.7 0.47±0.24
Medium‡ 29 6.4±1.9 9.1±2.6 0.74±0.31
<5 mm 9 4.2±0.7 7.5±2.0 0.60±0.20
≥5 mm 20 7.4±1.4 9.8±2.5 0.81±0.33
Large 2 11.6±2.1 15.4±5.2 0.77±0.13
Total 35 6.2±2.6 9.0±3.3 0.71±0.31

* H-B ratio=Height-to-Base ratio;

† Mean±standard deviation;

‡ grouped into two classes by 5 mm of apical height.

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