A rare case of choroidal melanoma in Iraq: a case report

Choroidal melanoma is globally the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults; however, it remains rarely reported in the Middle East. We report the case of a 38-year-old Iraqi woman who was diagnosed with choroidal melanoma. Five years later, she developed persistent gastric discomfort despite negative regular surveillance CT findings; however, further evaluation with linear endoscopic ultrasound revealed a hypoechoic lesion in the gastric fundus. And the metastatic melanoma was confirmed through histopathological examination, supported by immunohistochemical staining. The age at diagnosis in Asian populations is often younger. It was postulated that the age at presentation might likely get lower with implementation of improved screening strategies. In Asian nations Choroidal melanoma are detected late due to inadequate screening and reduced reporting. Moreover, the diagnosis of gastric melanoma can be challenging, as these metastases often remain clinically masked and CT/PET imaging studies have many pitfalls.