Iris melanomas: are they more frequent in New Zealand?

Iris melanoma: Features and prognosis in 317 children and adults

“…This figure correlated with the rising rate of cutaneous melanoma in that region, which was three times higher than in Canada, a region of similar population ancestry. 15 Krohn and Dahl 16 of western Norway noted 10% of uveal melanomas to be of iris origin, with a median patient age of 45 years and youngest at 25 years. The crude incidence was 1.2 cases per 1 million persons per year for women and 1.0 for men, even higher than other studies, speculated to be due to solar radiation exposure.…”

“…11,12 Jenson 12 reviewed the 25-year experience in Denmark and commented that there was an increasing incidence of iris melanoma over time, similar to cutaneous melanoma, and speculated on the role of solar radiation exposure. Michalova and colleagues 15 in New Zealand South Island studied the concept of solar radiation relationship to iris melanoma as a high level of solar ultraviolet radiation is present in that region due to depletion of the ozone layer over Antarctica. They found 16 affected white patients over 14 years with mean age of 49 years with the youngest at 20 years.…”

“…4,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In 1957 Duke and Dunn published an article on 28 iris melanomas, of which 3 occurred in children, 19 in mid-adults, and 6 in older adults and only one death from metastatic disease. 9 The incidence of iris melanoma has been estimated at 0.4 to 0.6 cases per 1 million persons per year.…”

Uveal Melanoma: Epidemiologic Aspects

“…The incidence of uveal melanoma in the United States, England [ 12 ], and various European countries is similar to that in Australia [ 13 ] and New Zealand [ 14 ], where the population is exposed to a higher intensity of ultraviolet light.…”

Iris melanoma: pathology, prognosis and surgical intervention

“…Melanoma of the iris is rare, with an estimated European incidence reported to be 0.02−0.08/100 000 per year 1 . The incidence in New Zealand has been estimated to be slightly higher (0.09/100 000 per year), a finding thought to be due in part to high solar UV‐B radiation 2 . The average age at diagnosis ranges from 40 to 50 years, with an equal sex distribution 3 .…”