Comparison of uveal melanoma growth rates with mitotic index and mortality
J. D. Gass
Between December 1962 and May 1979, growth of choroidal and ciliary body
melanomas was documented in 34 patients prior to enucleation, and in one
patient whose eye was obtained at autopsy. Melanoma growth rates in 33 of
these 35 eyes were calculated and compared with mitotic index, tumor
cytology, tumor size, and mortality. Each melanoma appeared to grow at a
constant rate that varied widely in different melanomas. Growth rate
correlated with mitotic index. Most large tumors and epithelioid and mixed
cell melanomas demonstrated fast growth rates. Most melanomas causing death
contained epithelioid cells and were growing rapidly. These findings do not
support the conclusion of Zimmerman and colleagues that enucleation is
responsible for most metastatic deaths. Rather, it argues against one of
the fundamental assumptions on which their conclusion is based, namely,
that all melanomas have a relatively uniform slow growth rate prior to
enucleation.
