title: Clinical presentation and management of uveal melanoma.
abstract: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults. The majority of the patients are Caucasian (97.8%) and aged 50-80 years. Choroidal melanoma is the predominant type (86.3%). The clinical presentation may range from no symptoms over various types of visual disturbances to visual loss. Examination includes slit-lamp biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy and diagnostic testing, such as B-scan ultrasonography. A number of patients with posterior UM are treated with plaque radiation therapy or enucleation. At present, targeted therapy includes inhibitors of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase signaling pathway. UM disseminates hematogenously, with a high propensity for metastasis to the liver, which the most common site (93% of the cases). While UM is uncommon, a significant proportion of affected patients succumb to this disease and new treatment options to improve patient survival are required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Association for the Prevention of Blindness in Mexico I.A.P, Mexico City 04030, Mexico.
authors.forename: Abelardo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Research, UNAM/National Cancer Institute, Mexico City 14080, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dueñas-Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Association for the Prevention of Blindness in Mexico I.A.P, Mexico City 04030, Mexico.
authors.forename: Sarai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delgado-Pelayo
keywords: guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(q) subunit alpha; guanine nucleotide-binding protein subunit alpha-11; mitogen-activated protein kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase; monosomy 3; ultrasonography; uveal melanoma