Conjunctival Melanoma

Abstract

Conjunctival melanoma is a rare disease that presents on the ocular surface. Most studies that have focussed on ocular melanomas have done so with regards to uveal melanoma (being the more common subtype). Conjunctival melanoma represents about 5% of ocular region melanomas and has a relatively high mortality rate in comparison to other ocular melanomas. The rarity of the disease has impeded research progress, but newer effective therapies and diagnostic tools have emerged. Despite this, however, tumour metastasis and associated mortality rates remain high. This review provides an overview of conjunctival melanoma, specifically in terms of epidemiology, histopathology, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.