Introduction to OM
Ocular melanoma is the most common primary cancer of the eye in adults.
It is diagnosed in about 7,000 people across the world every year and occurs most often in lightly pigmented individuals with a median age of 55 years. However, it can occur in all races and at any age.
"OM" for short, ocular melanoma is a malignant tumor that can grow and spread to other parts of the body, which it does in about half of cases. This process, known as metastasis, is often fatal. The liver is the primary site of metastasis (~85%), following by the lungs (~10%).
Today, there is no cure for metastatic OM.
OM is also the second most common form of melanoma. But although OM comes from the same pigment cells in the body, called melanocytes, as its more well-known melanomas, OM is different from skin (or cutaneous) melanoma. Overall, OM represents about 5% of all melanomas.
It is diagnosed in about 7,000 people across the world every year and occurs most often in lightly pigmented individuals with a median age of 55 years. However, it can occur in all races and at any age.
"OM" for short, ocular melanoma is a malignant tumor that can grow and spread to other parts of the body, which it does in about half of cases. This process, known as metastasis, is often fatal. The liver is the primary site of metastasis (~85%), following by the lungs (~10%).
Today, there is no cure for metastatic OM.
OM is also the second most common form of melanoma. But although OM comes from the same pigment cells in the body, called melanocytes, as its more well-known melanomas, OM is different from skin (or cutaneous) melanoma. Overall, OM represents about 5% of all melanomas.