A tumor is simply a mass or
tissue swelling.
The term applies to benign (noncancerous) tumors, such as a mole on the skin,
as well as malignant tumors, also called cancers, that occur when
cells grow abnormally and possibly spread to other parts of the body.
A benign tumor does not have the ability to invade or spread to
other organs. Benign tumors are not cancers.
A malignant tumor, however, does have the ability to invade
and spread to other organs. A malignant tumor is a "cancer."
Eye cancer, or intraocular cancer, is a general term for the
many types of tumors that can occur in the eye.
Most
eye tumors involve the conjunctiva, retina, optic nerve, or uveal
tract, composed of the iris, ciliary body, and choroid.
Click here for close-up view
The most common type of primary intraocular cancer in
adults is melanoma. (Primary cancer means that the tumor started in
the eye.) It begins when pigmented (colored) cells in the eye called melanocytes grow uncontrollably. Intraocular melanoma is also called
uveal melanoma because it occurs in the part of the eye called the
uvea.
Ocular melanoma
occur in five distinct sites around and in the eye.
Each type has its own distinctive growth pattern and prognosis.
Eyelid Melanoma - Essentially like other skin (cutaneous)
melanomas
Conjunctival Melanoma - The filmy white
covering of the eye
Iris Melanoma - The colored part of the inside
of the eye around the pupil
Choroidal Melanoma - The pigmented supporting
layer under the retina containing large numbers of blood vessels
Optic Nerve Melanoma - The large ‘nerve of
vision’ which exits the back of the eye
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