Genetics of Uveal Melanoma

Uveal melanoma is a rare, aggressive intraocular malignant tumor, leading to metastatic disease in over 50% of patients with tumors located in the ciliary body or choroid. Genetic studies have identified chromosomal changes, mutations and gene expression profiles linked to both tumour development and progression. In this chapter we present the current knowledge surrounding these key molecular changes, how they are being used to predict metastatic risk, their functional relevance to tumor biology and how they may inform the identification of therapeutic targets to treat metastatic disease.