title: Survival from uveal melanoma in Western Australia 1981-2005.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The survival rates for patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma in Australia are unknown. Few long-term studies of uveal melanoma are available, and it is unclear whether their results are applicable to the Australian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective population-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma between 1981 and 2005 in Western Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred eight cases were included. Relative survival and Cox regression were performed. Variables tested for their predictive ability included patient age and sex, tumour-specific variables, and treatment modality.
  
  
  METHODS
  All-cause survival rates and relative survival rates of patients with diagnosed uveal melanoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative survival rates for the entire cohort were 88.2%, 81.4% and 71.4% at 3, 5 and 10 years, respectively. Predictors of worse survival included mixed-cell tumour morphology (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.1; P-value = 0.002), tumour location at the ciliary body (HR = 1.7; P-value = 0.029) and tumour apical height more than 5 mm (HR 1.9, P-value = 0.026). Of all patients who underwent enucleation, those diagnosed in 1998-2005 died twice as fast (HR = 2.3; P-value = 0.004). In the 17 patients with metastasis, the median survival time from date of diagnosis of metastasis was 3.1 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These survival estimates are comparable to those reported for the USA, and more optimistic than those reported for most European-based studies. Tumour apical height, tumour site, tumour morphology and having an enucleation in certain calendar periods of diagnosis were independent predictors of survival. Survival prognosis for patients with diagnosed metastatic uveal melanoma is very poor.
authors.affiliation: Lions Eye Institute, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Avenell L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.affiliation: Centre for Population Health Research, Curtin University, Curtin, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spilsbury
authors.affiliation: Department of Opthalmology, Royal Perth Hospital and Lions Eye Institute, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Timothy W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Isaacs
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001918:Brachytherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate; D014604:Uveal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D000098943:Uveal Melanoma
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: intraorbital malignancy; survival; uveal melanoma