Eye melanoma associated with genetic risk for skin melanoma read more at here http://spinonews.com/index.php/component/k2/item/651

New research links specific inherited genetic differences to an increased risk for eye (uveal) melanoma, a rare form of melanoma that arises from pigment cells that determine eye color.

Scientists from Ohio State University report he evidence a strong association between genes linked to eye color and development of uveal melanoma.

More than 2,500 people are diagnosed with uveal melanoma in the United States annually. Previous clinical data suggests uveal melanoma is more common in Caucasians and individuals with light eye coloration. The data suggests that inherited genetic factors associated with eye and skin pigmentation could increase a person's risk for uveal melanoma.

Researchers analyzed samples from more than 270 patients with uveal melanoma, most of who were treated at Ohio State.

In this study, there is a known clinical connection between eye melanoma and skin cancer. Researchers sought to determine whether there were commonly shared genetic factors between both diseases, as the inherited genetic risk of skin melanoma has been more extensively explored in previous medical literature.

The team analyzed 29 inherited genetic mutations previously linked with skin melanoma to determine if there was an associated risk of uveal melanoma, and  revealed that five genetic mutations were significantly associated with uveal melanoma risk. The three most significant genetic associations occurred in a genetic region that determines eye color.

Genetic susceptibility to uveal melanoma has been traditionally thought to be restricted only to a small group of patients with family history. Now, this strong data shows the presence of novel genetic risk factors associated with this disease in a general population of uveal melanoma patients.

This data is important because it indicates for the first time that there is a shared genetic susceptibility to both skin and uveal melanoma mediated by genetic determination of eye color. 

This is a very important discovery that will guide future research efforts to explore the interactions of these pigmentary genes with other genetic and environmental risk factors in cancers not linked to sun exposure.