Increased Histological Tumor Pigmentation in Uveal Melanoma Is Related to Eye Color and Loss of Chromosome 3/BAP1

Abstract

Patients with moderately and heavily pigmented tumors showed a significantly higher UM-related mortality than patients with unpigmented and light tumors (<i>P</i> < 0.001), supporting prior reports on the relation between increased tumor pigmentation and a worse prognosis. Although we previously showed that a dark eye color was associated with tumor pigmentation, we now show that the tumor's genetic status (chromosome 3 and 8q/BAP1 status) is also related to tumor pigmentation. When pigmentation and chromosome 3 status are both included in a Cox regression analysis, pigmentation is not an independent prognostic factor. However, evidence from this and previous studies shows that chromosome changes and PRAME expression have a stronger association with survival when they occur in light tumors than in dark ones. <i>F</i><b><i>inancial Disclosure(s)</i></b>: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.