Prognostic value of 32P uptake in posterior uveal melanomas

Current follow-up information was obtained for 91 of 100 patients with tumors of the uveal tract for whom transscleral 32P tests had been performed and the eye had been enucleated because of malignant melanoma. The 32P uptake test was found to correlate better with outcome than either mitotic activity or invasion of the sclera. However, the correlation was not as good as that observed for tumor size and cell type. While most of the prognostic information in the 32P uptake value could be determined from the size of the tumor, none of the 13 tumors with 32P uptake less than 100% developed metastatic melanoma. The amount of necrosis within the tumor correlated with a bad prognosis and lower 32P uptake. There were three cases of spindle-cell nevi, all with positive 32P uptake values and none with metastasis.