Uveal Melanoma

Uveal melanoma

Treatment-Typically 80 Gy to the apex of the tumor. I-125 seeds applied in an eye plaque applicator. Number of seeds can range (on the order of 10-15 seeds with average activity can vary greatly but from 2-8 mCi per seed which is high compared to the average seed used for prostate brachytherapy)

Malignant melanoma, the most common primary intraocular malignancy, is a neoplasm of the uveal tract. This is the pigmented layer of the eye that includes the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. The iris is the readily visible, most anterior portion. While the iris is perceived as giving the eye its color, such as blue, green, hazel, or brown, the melanocyte is the only pigment-synthesizing cell of the uveal tract. The amount of melanin varies according to racial and familial characteristics, and light diffraction explains the other aspects of iris color. The iris functions as a diaphragm, constantly altering the size of the pupil according to the ambient light.
The ciliary body is continuous with the iris, and it lines the sclera anteriorly. Its functions include secretion of aqueous fluid and alteration of the shape of the crystalline lens for the purpose of focusing. Posterior to it is the choroid, which lines the remainder of the sclera and functions as a source of oxygen and nutrients for the overlying retina. (https://www.moffitt.usf.edu/pubs/ccj/v5n4/article1.html)

One of the best description of this disease comes courtesy of this site:
http://www.medcyclopaedia.com/library/topics/volume_vi_1/u/uveal_melanoma.aspx

A more disturbing look at causes of uveal melanomas is the following (courtesy of http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/4/11)

Until now, the majority of epidemiological cancer studies focussed on brain cancer because the brain may be exposed to RFR [18-20]. With the exception of one study by Hardell et al. [21], all brain cancer studies showed no association between RFR as emitted by mobile phones and brain tumour risk until now. In contrast, the pooled analysis of two recent German case-control studies on the aetiology of uveal melanoma showed that frequent use of radiofrequency radiation devices including radio sets and mobile phones at the work place is associated with an about 4.2-fold elevated risk for uveal melanoma [22].