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Uveal melanoma among Finnish children and adolescents
Author(s) -
ALJAMAL R,
KIVELÄ T
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2012.4465.x
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , melanoma , basal (medicine) , pediatrics , population , age groups , surgery , demography , environmental health , sociology , physics , cancer research , insulin , optics
Purpose To report uveal melanoma (UM) before the age of 25 years in Finland, a high incidence region for this cancer. Methods A population‐based study identified 24 patients (0.3%), aged between 13 and 24 years at diagnosis, treated in our hospital in 1963‐2006. They were divided in two groups, the first consisted of 11 patients (9 females, 2 males) enucleated before 1997. The second was treated by irradiation after 1991, consisting of 11 patients (9 females, 2 males). Two other patients underwent local resection (male and female). Results Tumour height was 4‐11 mm (mean, 7) in the first and 4.4‐13.7 mm (mean, 8.5) in the second group and largest basal diameter ranged from 5‐16 mm (mean, 10) and 2.5‐ 21 mm (mean, 15), respectively. Four patients died, 3 of UM (after 4, 12 and 21 years). All were female with spindle tumours. In the second group, 2 females died of UM (after 3 and 4 years). Conclusion UM is rarely seen among young children and adolescents. In this small series, females outnumbered males.