Abstract
Purpose :
The relationship between allostatic load (AL) and the prognosis of uveal melanoma remains unexplored. We performed a retrospective, observational cohort study to investigate the relationship between AL and tumor prognostic factors for uveal melanoma.
Methods :
111 patients from the University of Illinois Hospital that were 21 years or older who met our inclusion criteria of a clinical diagnosis of uveal melanoma and had comprehensive metabolic panels and vital signs recorded within 6 months of their diagnosis were included in our study. AL score was calculated as a composite of ten biomarkers. Patients received one point towards AL score for each biomarker that fell in the “worst” sample quartile. Linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between AL score and several tumor prognostic factors, such as basal diameter and extraocular extension. Patients’ tumors were also grouped into size groups according to the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study classifications. An ANOVA analysis was conducted to test for a significant difference in AL score and biomarker means amongst tumor size groups. A secondary analysis using cutoffs to determine AL score was also conducted.
Results :
Of the 111 patients included in our study, 38 patients (34.2%) had a high AL score. The ANOVA analysis yielded that there was a marginally significant difference in mean AL score between the different tumor size groups (p = 0.069) with the small group having the highest mean AL score. There was a significant difference in mean blood glucose level between the different tumor size groups (p = 0.029) with the smallest group having the highest mean blood glucose level. Our analysis also yielded that AL score had a significant relationship with extraocular extension (p = 0.015).
Conclusions :
AL score was found to correlate with extraocular extension, indicating that chronic disease may be associated with the pathogenesis of extraocular extension. The difference in AL score and blood glucose level across tumor size groups was marginally significant and statistically significant, respectively. These differences may be related to patients with chronic diseases and patients who undergo routine diabetic screening eye examinations being more likely to have early detection of melanocytic choroidal tumors. Future studies investigating the relationship between AL and extraocular extension are warranted.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.