Rare cancer doesn't have symptoms but can be extremely serious

20 February 2024 , 17:28

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If the cancer spreads, it can be hard to treat (Image: Getty Images)

There's a rare type of eye cancer that doesn't usually show any symptoms but can be very serious.

Uveal melanoma, also known as ocular melanoma, affects between 500 and 600 people in the UK each year. It doesn't usually give patients any symptoms and is often diagnosed at routine optical examinations, however some patients do report experiencing some. However, once the cancer spreads from the eye to other organs, half of all uveal cancer patients will not survive, according to .

If the cancer spreads, it can be hard to treat. But if it's caught early, some treatments can help people live longer and have a better quality of life, reports Wales Online.

What is uveal melanoma?

It's a very rare but dangerous cancer, says Moorfields Eye Hospital. It starts in cells called melanocytes in the uvea (the middle layer of tissue in the wall of the eyeball). The uvea includes the choroid (a thin layer of tissue part of the middle layer of the eye wall), ciliary body (part of the middle layer of the wall of the eye) and iris.

What causes uveal melanoma?

According to both Moorfields Eye Hospital and the Mayo Clinic, there is no known cause of melanoma and it is not related to sun exposure. Eye melanoma occurs when the pigment-producing cells in the eyes divide and multiply too rapidly, creating a tumour.

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However there are some risk factors to be aware of, according to the NHS. These include:

• lighter eye colour – if you have blue, grey or green eyes, you have a higher risk of developing eye melanoma compared with people who have brown eyes
• white or pale skin – eye melanoma mostly affects white people and is more common in those with fair skin
• unusual moles – if you have irregularly shaped or unusually coloured moles, you're more at risk of developing melanoma skin cancer and eye melanoma
• use of sunbeds – there's some evidence to suggest that exposing yourself to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunbeds, for example, can increase your risk of eye melanoma

The average age at which an ocular melanoma develops is 55-60, but if it's diagnosed in younger patients, there may be an association with atypical (benign) moles or skin melanoma.

Symptoms of uveal melanoma

Despite many people who suffer with uveal melanoma don't experience symptoms, there are some who report experiencing visual disturbances. The tumour is usually found during a routine eye test.

• shadows, flashes of light, or wiggly lines in your vision
• blurred vision
• a dark patch in your eye that's getting bigger
• partial or total loss of vision
• bulging of one eye
• a lump on your eyelid or in your eye that's increasing in size
• eye irritation that is not going away
• pain in or around your eye, although this is rare

It's important to remember that these symptoms can also be caused by minor eye conditions, so they're not always a sign of cancer.

Rom Preston-Ellis