Clinical features and survival outcomes of ocular melanoma in a multi-ethnic Asian cohort

Abstract

Ocular melanomas are uncommon cancers in Southeast Asia unlike in the West. We conducted a retrospective review of patients (n = 44) with histologically-proven ocular melanoma within a multi-ethnic Asian cohort from Singapore. Clinicopathological features and relapse patterns were examined, and survival outcomes of interest included recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method and multivariable Cox proportional regression. The study cohort included 18 male and 26 female patients, with a median age of 52 years (range 8–78). Median follow-up was 154 months. For uveal melanomas (n = 29), the 5-year RFS and OS was 56.8% and 76.6%, respectively; whilst for conjunctival melanomas (n = 15), the 5-year RFS and OS was 30.1% and 68.8%, respectively. Fifteen patients (38.5%) eventually developed metastasis, following which the median survival was only 17 months. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that higher T stage was a significant independent predictor for both OS (HR 8.69, 95% CI 1.03 to 73.09, p = 0.047) and RFS (HR 11.62, 95% CI 2.45 to 55.00, p = 0.002). Smoking history was independently predictive of better RFS (HR 0.08, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.78, p = 0.030). In conclusion, our study demonstrates the poor ocular melanoma outcomes in Southeast Asians, highlighting the necessity for urgent research in this area of unmet clinical need.