**Abstract**

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy with a strong tendency to metastasize. The prognosis is poor once metastasis occurs. The treatment remains challenging for metastatic UM, even though our understanding of UM has advanced. Risk factors for developing UM include ages, skin colors, and genetic mutations. Many therapies that have applied to cutaneous melanoma have little or no success in UM. Various forms and combinations of radiotherapy, phototherapy, and local resection are utilized for advanced cases. The treatment aims to preserve the eye and useful vision and prevent metastases. This chapter aims to introduce the current study for UM.

**Keywords:** ophthalmology, uveal melanoma, pathogenesis, diagnosis, pathological features, staging, treatment, prognosis

## **1. Introduction**

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary malignant intraocular tumor in adults. As a highly aggressive and fatal tumor, it mostly occurs in the choroid (90.0%), followed by the ciliary body (6.0%) and the iris (4.0%). The mean patient age at diagnosis was between the ages of 50 and 60, mostly in Europeans, Americans, and Caucasians, and more men than women. Despite effective treatment of the primary tumor and metastases, 50% of patients develop liver metastases within a median of 2.4 years [1]. Once UM metastasizes throughout the body, there is no effective treatment. Overall, 90% of patients die within 6 months of diagnosis of metastases [2, 3]. However, metastases are detectable in only 1–3% of diagnosed cases. Because the survival rate of patients is closely related to the size of the primary tumor, early diagnosis and early local treatment are crucial. At present, the main treatment methods include enucleation and applicator radiotherapy, but no standard treatment plan has been established for postoperative adjuvant therapy and systemic treatment for advanced patients.
