Iris pigmented lesions as a marker of cutaneous melanoma risk: an Australian case-control study

Abstract

Early diagnosis of melanoma of the skin leads to a higher chance of successful treatment and survival. Clinicians need to be aware of patients at high risk, such as those with multiple naevi (moles) to enable early detection of melanoma. Pigmented naevi and freckle‐like lesions (spots) are common in the iris, which is the coloured part of the eye around the pupil. It is known that pigmented iris lesions are associated with dysplastic skin naevi, meaning moles that are abnormal‐looking but not cancerous, but a link with melanoma has not been confirmed. The authors, mostly based in Brisbane, Australia, aimed to determine if iris pigmented lesions were a risk factor for melanoma. They examined and took digital eye photographs of 1117 dermatology patients who had been diagnosed with melanoma, and control subjects (without melanoma). They found that there was a 45% increased incidence of melanoma in patients under 40 who had three or more iris pigmented lesions; this was in addition to other risk factors for melanoma. They concluded that multiple areas of iris pigmentation were a risk factor for melanoma in people of European origin.