Epidemiology of uveal melanoma in Brazil

Abstract

Purpose To report the prevalence of uveal melanoma in a Hospital database in Brazil over the period of 16 years (2000 to 2016). Design Descriptive epidemiological study evaluating the Brazilian Hospital Based Cancer Registries. Participants/methods Uveal melanomas were identified based on ICD-O-3 codes C69.3 [choroid], C69.4 [ciliary body and iris], and C69.2 [retina]) derived from the Integrator Registry database. Kolmogorov–Smirnov Test was used for evaluation of normality of data, t-test and Chi square were used for categorical and continuous variables respectively using SPSS Software. Main outcome measures Age, sex, education, regional distribution, clinical staging at the diagnosis, time from diagnosis to treatment (≤ 60 days versus > 60 days) and first-course therapy (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination of such). Results There were 2166 cases of uveal melanoma representing 5.4% of all cases of melanoma. Histological confirmation of uveal melanoma was available in all cases. Higher prevalence of 1139 cases (52.6%) in women than 1027 cases (47.4%) in men was observed. Age distribution revealed 1411 cases (65.1%) in the group between 41 and 69 years old. A total of 429 (19.8%) patients were classified as initial disease and 334 (15.4%) as advanced (regional or distant metastases). Staging as initial disease was more frequent (113–24.8%) in patients with > 8 school years than in patients with < 8 school years (179–17.6%) reflecting disparities in healthcare access between those two populations. No difference was noticed in terms of diagnosis, staging and treatment after the Brazilian “60 days law” (Federal Law 12.732/12) came into effect in 2013 regulating the maximum period that a patient with cancer has to wait until start the treatment. Conclusion Epidemiological data is critical for planning early treatment strategies and allocating medical resources. This study intended to understand the characteristics of uveal melanoma in Brazil.

Mixed-Cell Type Choroidal Melanoma in a Middle-Aged Woman

“…It has been mentioned that uveal melanoma was more incident in men 11 . Nevertheless, an epidemiological study in Brazil on the incidence of uveal melanoma found higher incidence of this type of tumor in women similar to the case described 12 . However, the difference in the proportion between men and women in the study was not very high.…”

Incidence and survival of ocular melanoma in National Cancer Registry of Poland in 2010–2017

“…1,3,6 Other risk factors associated with ocular melanoma include sex, Caucasian origin, light skin and iris pigmentation, genetic predisposition (BAP1 mutation), environmental factors, and certain dermatological conditions like dysplastic nevus syndrome or nevus of Ota. [11][12][13][14] Despite the fact that the treatment of ocular melanoma has evolved with a therapeutic shift to eye-conserving treatment options, it is estimated that still more than 50% of patients develop metastases within 25 years from the initial diagnosis. Poor prognosis indicators include older age at diagnosis, large tumor diameter, anterior location, extraocular extension, histopathological type, and cytogenetic abnormalities.…”

Carbon ion radiotherapy for synchronous choroidal melanoma and lung cancer: A case report

“…Cytogenetic features, such as chromosome 3 monosomy and the mutations in the GNAQ and BAP1 genes, are also related to higher aggressiveness and systemic spread. Recently, PALB2 and MLH1 germline mutations were associated with a hereditary predisposition to the risk of uveal melanoma, and several other genes also have potential associations with uveal melanomas[ 15 ]. The clinical presentation of uveal melanoma relies on the mass location within the uveal tissue, size, pigmentation, associated bleeding, retinal detachment, inflammation, and extrascleral extension.…”