Genetic status of chromosome 3 in posterior uveal melanoma in relation to the development of second primary malignancies

Abstract

 

Purpose

 

To evaluate if the genetic profile of chromosome 3 in posterior uveal melanoma is indicative of the development of second primary malignancies after treatment for posterior uveal melanoma.

 

Methods

 

Charts from a retrospective consecutive cohort of 153 Patients with posterior uveal melanoma treated from 2009 through 2012 were reviewed. Information on genetic analysis of chromosome 3 and synchronous cancers including histopathological descriptions were collected.

 

Results

 

A total number of 28 patients (18.3 %) presented at least one second primary malignancy (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers and carcinoma in situ). In 15 patients (9.8 %) a second primary malignancy was diagnosed after treatment of posterior uveal melanoma during a median follow-up time of 3.2 years (range: 0.2-5.7, interquartile range: 2.2-4.3). All secondary cancers were histologically verified. Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, lung cancer and cutaneous melanoma were the most common. Cause of death included metastatic spread of uveal melanoma (30 ptt.), metastatic spread of other primary cancers (7 ptt.) and other causes (7 ptt.). The group of patients who developed a second primary malignancy after treatment demonstrated a significantly (p=0.03) higher frequency of chromosome 3 aberrations compared to patients who did not show any signs of new primary malignant lesions during follow-up (Figure 1). Furthermore, an increased risk of second primary malignancies was observed in patients with gain of chromosome 3 (p=0.0006).

 

Conclusions

 

Our data demonstrates the importance of surveillance for second primary malignancies in patients treated for posterior uveal melanoma. Furthermore, the determination of chromosome 3 status in posterior uveal melanoma could identify a subgroup of patients with an increased risk of second primary malignancies. However this finding needs to be reproduced in a larger dataset.  

 

Figure 1 Chromosome 3 status of posterior uveal melanoma in patients who developed a second primary malignancy during follow-up compared to the rest of the cohort (2).