engleski

Conjunctival melanoma - epidemiological trends

Ocular melanomas are the most common extracutaneous melanoma subsite with European standardized incidence rates of 10.7 and 8.2 per 1.000.000 person per year for males and females, respectively. It represents the most common type of eye cancer among adults. Conjunctival melanoma is a rare subsite of this tumour and comprises only about 5% of all melanomas in the ocular region. It almost exclusively occurs in white population with only less than 1% cases in African-Americans. In recent decades the incidence of uveal melanoma has been relatively stable. Alternatively, conjunctival melanoma has shown increasing incidence which is the same trend seen in cutaneous melanoma. This is likely to be related to environmental exposure to ultraviolet light. The observed differences in incidences between light and dark pigmented individuals in conjunctival melanomas are considerably lower than that in the uveal and cutaneous melanomas. This dissimilarity may be related to the different histological structures since conjunctival melanomas occur in the mucous membrane. Recent molecular biological studies support the fact that each type of melanoma undergoes its own molecular changes and has characteristic biological behaviour. These data open up the need for additional research pertaining to the facts that may explain the different time trends for distinct subsites of ocular, particularly conjunctival melanoma. Further studies are therefore required for each type of melanoma in order to ascertain their individual aetiology and pathogenesis and based on this knowledge develop relevant prevention and treatment procedures.

conjunctival melanoma, epidemiology, diagnostic procedures, management, prognosis

nije evidentirano