Subretinal pigment cells in malignant melanoma of the choroid.
On examining 54 globes that harbored choroidal malignant melanomas, we found 28 tumors to be composed of spindle cells; 24, of mixed cells; and two, of epitheloid cells. In 80% of the tumors studied, pigment-laden cells had accumulated away from the tumor region and at the periphery of the subretinal space. The number of cells increased in proportion to the extent of retinal detachment, a finding that related directly to the size of the tumor.
D001284:Atrophy; D002452:Cell Count; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D008545:Melanoma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000473:pathology*; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000209:etiology