Ocular Melanoma and Other Unusual Sites

Noncutaneous melanoma is a rare entity for which there is still no agreement about management. The rarity of this disease has resulted in a lack of significant investigation and insufficient opportunity to evaluate the epidemiologic features, risk factors, and the most useful diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Noncutaneous melanomas are characterized by poor prognosis, and the diagnosis is usually delayed because of their unusual locations and lack of physician awareness. This review focuses principally on ocular melanoma, the most frequent noncutaneous melanoma, for which each aspect of the disease is described. The potential utility of nuclear medicine procedures is also considered.