FRIDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- Uveal melanoma patients and their first-degree relatives may have an increased risk of developing other cancers, especially colon cancer, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Frederick H. Davidorf, M.D., of the Ohio State University Department of Ophthalmology in Columbus, and colleagues obtained detailed three-generation family cancer histories from 130 uveal melanoma patients.
The researchers found that female patients with uveal melanoma had an increased breast cancer risk compared to the general population (relative risk, 1.67) and that male patients with uveal melanoma had no increased risk of prostate cancer. They also found that patients with uveal melanoma and their first-degree relatives had an increased risk of colon cancer (RR, 2.84 and 2.26, respectively).
"Identification of uveal melanoma patients who are at an increased risk for development of other cancers will be crucial for proper management of the patient and their families," the authors conclude. "Moreover, identification of specific genetic changes associated with increased risk for uveal melanomas will provide further insight into the molecular pathogenesis of this cancer."
Abstract
