Melanoma arising de novo over a 16-month period
J. A. Sahel, R. Pesavento, A. R. Frederick Jr and D. M. Albert
Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Choroidal melanoma is widely regarded as a slow-growing tumor. We report
herein the first documented case, to our knowledge, of a choroidal melanoma
present in an eye in which examination 16 months earlier disclosed no
tumor. On gross examination following enucleation, the largest tumor
diameter at the base was 19 mm and the height was 11 mm. The implications
as to the growth rate and the precursor lesions of choroidal melanomas are
discussed.
