Purpose: To analyze the clinicopathologic characteristics of uveal melanoma in Mexican patients under thirty years old.
Methods: We reviewed the cases from the Service of Ophthalmic Pathology with histopathologic diagnosis of uveal melanoma from 1957 to March 2002. The data analyzed were: age, gender, affected eye, clinical diagnosis, size, cellular type, mitotic index, lymphocytic infiltrate, vascular pattern, necrosis, vascular and/or intraocular invasion and orbital extension.
Results: We reviewed 122 cases diagnosed with uveal melanoma, and 14 patients were younger than 30 years old (11.4%). The mean age was 21.7 years, with female preponderance. Preoperative clinical diagnoses were uveal melanoma in 92.8%, most of the cases originated from choroid. The most frequent cellular type was spindle cells and 3 and 4 Folberg's vascular patterns.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that the clinicians should consider uveal melanoma more frequently as another differential diagnosis in patients under thirty years with an intraocular tumor. The histological characteristics found have been correlated with a better prognosis.