UMs are larger and more posterior in males

Article

Uveal melanomas (UMs) are more likely to be larger and more posterior in male patients

Uveal melanomas (UMs) are more likely to be larger and more posterior in male patients, compared to female patients, revealed a study in the journal Eye.

Dr B.E. Damato et al., Ocular Oncology Service, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK, reviewed records from the Liverpool Ocular Oncology Centre (LOOC) database between 1993 and 2010. The χ2 test was used to identify categorical variables between male and female patients and the Mann-Whitney test was used to compare continuous variables.

Of the 3380 patients included in the study, 1685 were women and 1695 were men. Tumours developed in the choroid in 89.5% of the patients, 5.3% in the ciliary body and 5.2% in the iris.

In female patients the tumours were less likely to originate in the choroid and demonstrated a more circumferential spread in the ciliary body. But tumours in the male patients were more likely to develop within 3 mm of the optic disc or fovea.

The median diameters of the largest basal tumour in male patients were 12.2 mm and 11.9 mm in men and women, respectively. The median tumour thicknesses were 4.4 mm and 3.8 mm for men and women, respectively.

Prevalence of extraocular spread was higher in women with 112 suffering from ciliary body tumours, compared to 68 in the male patients. Of the 175 iris melanomas discovered, 103 were found in the female patients.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Christine Curcio, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, shares histology update and revised nomenclature for OCT with Sheryl Stevenson of the Eye Care Network and Ophthalmology Times
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, shares key points from his retina presentation at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.