Abstract

CRUZ, Diana Pinho  and  LOPES, José Manuel. Clinico-laboratorial Features and Survival in Patients with Uveal Melanoma. Arq Med [online]. 2009, vol.23, n.2, pp.45-57. ISSN 2183-2447.

Uveal melanoma occurs in the iris, the ciliary body and the choroid. It is the most common primary intra-ocular malignancy in adults. The etiology remains largely unknown, but several factors have been associated with increased risk for the development of uveal melanoma. Patients with uveal melanoma may be asymptomatic or symptomatic. The clinical manifestations depend on the size and location of the tumour. The ophtalmoscopic examination is usually sufficient for diagnosis. Ultrasonography is the most useful imagiological exam. The fine needle biopsy is useful when the diagnosis cannot be established with less invasive methods. The prognosis of patients with uveal melanoma depends on several clinical, histopathological, cytogenetic and molecular factors. The liver is the most common location and tends to be the first or single site of metastatic uveal melanoma. Despite improvements in the early diagnosis and in the efficacy of primary tumour treatment, the survival of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma remains ominous. There are recent advances in the pathogenesis that may prove to be important for the therapeutic and follow-up management of patients with uveal melanoma.

Keywords : uveal melanoma; clinical features; pathology; genetics; prognosis; treatment.

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