PubMed · 11815331
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Carol L Shields. 2002. Conjunctival melanoma.. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.86.2.127
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The causal role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in all cancers of the uterine cervix has been firmly established biologically and epidemiologically. Most cancers of the vagina and anus are likewise caused by HPV, as are a fraction of cancers of the vulva, penis, and oropharynx. HPV-16 and -18 account for about 70% of cancers of the cervix, vagina, and anus and for about 30-40% of cancers of the vulva, penis, and oropharynx. Other cancers causally linked to HPV are non-melanoma skin cancer and cancer of the conjunctiva. Although HPV is a necessary cause of cervical cancer, it is not a sufficient cause. Thus, other cofactors are necessary for progression from cervical HPV infection to cancer. Long-term use of hormonal contraceptives, high parity, tobacco smoking, and co-infection with HIV have been identified as established cofactors; co-infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2), immunosuppression, and certain dietary deficiencies are other probable cofactors. Genetic and immunological host factors and viral factors other than type, such as variants of type, viral load and viral integration, are likely to be important but have not been clearly identified.
BACKGROUND: Conjunctival melanoma is a rare occurrence in the Negroid race. PURPOSE: To report a case of a 55 year old security man with right conjunctival melanoma. METHOD: A 55 old man was operated on to remove a pigmented right bulbar conjuctival growth. The specimen was submitted to Lagos University Teaching Hospital Lagos and Harold Wood Hospital England for histopathologic examination and confirmation. RESULTS: Surgery was successful and histopathologic and immunohistochemical studies confirmed a diagnosis of a nodular malignant melanoma. CONCLUSION: The need for the provision of definitive investigative tool (immunohistochemical studies) to facilitate definitive diagnosis and management of such cases in some recognised centres in Nigeria cannot be overemphasised.