“Doubling time of untreated metastases ranged from 34 to 220 days (median, 63 days). Regardless of the presumed size of metastasis at last screening, two thirds of the metastases had a DT (doubling time) between 30 and 80 days.”

-http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161642000001822

“We identified monosomy of chromosome 3 in tumors from four patients with an average survival of 5 months (range 1-8 months) from time of diagnosis of metastatic disease. In contrast, tumors with either disomy or partial chromosome 3 alterations showed significantly slower metastatic disease progression with an average survival of 69 months (range 40-123 months, p = 0.003).”

- (behind a paywall) Monosomy 3 status of uveal melanoma metastases is associated with rapidly progressive tumors and short survival. Experimental Eye Research. 100 (pp 26-31), 2012. Date of Publication: July 2012.

Thanks poik….there is a bit of stuff about the metastases, but I can’t find anything much about the primary uveal tumour. In the April issue of JAMA Ophthalmol, there is a paper about “Progression of Ocular Melanoma Metastasisto the Liver”, where it is indicated that there is a 40% risk of liver metastasis within 10 years of diagnosis of the primary. And these metastases (95% of metastatic uveal melanoma goes to the liver) have probably spread hematogenously before you even find the primary. Then they sort of sit. Like a little single cell time bomb. My guy is coming up to two years from his enucleation and it would seem from my reading that that is often about the time they decide to party.

The initial tumour, I think, grew incredibly rapidly, a matter of maybe 60 days or so from nothing to symptomatic. Initially specialists (I won’t say where, not my locals) sent him away for 6 weeks after the thing made a retinal detachment and then when he went back it was enucleation within a couple of days.

I have to stop stressing for him. I doubt finding more info will help, and I am not the one to tell him the details, that is the specialist’s job. But so far I have been the one doing the sitting and listening for him.

Can’t stay, work to do.

I’ll get back later this evening.

buffy said:

Thanks poik….there is a bit of stuff about the metastases, but I can’t find anything much about the primary uveal tumour. In the April issue of JAMA Ophthalmol, there is a paper about “Progression of Ocular Melanoma Metastasisto the Liver”, where it is indicated that there is a 40% risk of liver metastasis within 10 years of diagnosis of the primary. And these metastases (95% of metastatic uveal melanoma goes to the liver) have probably spread hematogenously before you even find the primary. Then they sort of sit. Like a little single cell time bomb. My guy is coming up to two years from his enucleation and it would seem from my reading that that is often about the time they decide to party.

The initial tumour, I think, grew incredibly rapidly, a matter of maybe 60 days or so from nothing to symptomatic. Initially specialists (I won’t say where, not my locals) sent him away for 6 weeks after the thing made a retinal detachment and then when he went back it was enucleation within a couple of days.

I have to stop stressing for him. I doubt finding more info will help, and I am not the one to tell him the details, that is the specialist’s job. But so far I have been the one doing the sitting and listening for him.

Hmm, I did find an article, that I’ve now lost which mentioned if there was no looping or some such in the primary tumour, survial probability was high (order of 10s of years), whereas looping, whatever it meant, lead to a much poorer prognosis.

I remember seeing that looping thing too, but I don’t know what it means either

buffy said:

I remember seeing that looping thing too, but I don’t know what it means either

Found one refers to the vascularisation of the melanoma …presence of loops defined as periodic acid-Schiff-positive fibrovascular septa that completely surround lobules of tumor cells in cases of uveal melanoma. – cancer cells recruit their own blood vessels, makes sense, more complete new blood vessels near the primary melanoma results in more potential for spread and poorer prognosis.

Don’t think we’ll find a growth rate, like you said, who is going to sit and wait…it’s not the 50s anymore.

Ta.

I was previously unaware of the word “uveal”.

So, thanks.

Hey, if you get obsessive enough, you can find stuff:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1040132/

That’s an old one, but about the only one I found that properly addresses what I’m trying to find. For a general overview I found a more recent paper:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3443832/pdf/eye2012126a.pdf

My guy has an appointment with me tomorrow morning. It is now about 20 months since his diagnosis. I want to have a good chat with him about his followup.