Tumours of the retinal pigment epithelium.

Abstract

Under normal circumstances there is little, if any, turnover of the pigment epithelium of the human retina, and this absence of opportunity for aberrant genetic mutations to occur may in part account for the rarity of neoplasia in this tissue. Moreover, in those rare instances where tumours have developed, they have not infrequently been preceded by a hyperplastic proliferation associated with chronic choroido-retinitis. To what extent such neoplasms can ever be regarded as malignant has been the subject of some debate, and Fair (I958) concluded that it was perhaps best to leave the question open until more cases had been presented for study.