title: Iris color as a prognostic factor in ocular melanoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ocular melanoma may be more prevalent among patients with light irises than those with dark irises.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine a large clinical series of patients with intraocular melanoma to determine if light irises are associated with increased risk of death from these tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1162 patients treated with proton irradiation between 1984 and 1996 were observed through 1997.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Iris color in the patients was blue or gray in 48%, green or hazel in 30%, and brown in 23%. Tumors in patients with blue or gray irises were less heavily pigmented (P<.001) and closer to the optic disc and macula (P<.001). Five- and 10-year metastasis-related death rates were 0.14 and 0.21, respectively, for those with blue or gray irises and 0.10 and 0.15, respectively, for those with darker irises (P = .02). In a Cox proportional hazards regression controlling for tumor characteristics, patients with blue or gray irises died of metastatic disease at a rate 1.90 times (95% confidence interval, 1.26-2.85) that of patients with brown irises. The rate of metastatic death was not significantly elevated for those with green or hazel irises (relative risk, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-2.23).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with blue or gray irises appear to be at increased risk of metastatic death from choroidal melanoma, independent of other risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Retina Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston 02114, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Regan
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Judge
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Gragoudas
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Egan
mesh_terms: D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005127:Eye Color; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate