Ocular Tumors

Ocular tumors are rare, but because of the survival implications, study of ocular tumors is vital. Various ocular tissues can undergo malignant transformation, accounting for a large variety of primary malignant tumors in contrast with metastatic tumors (distant primary) or be affected by contiguous spread (secondary tumors). For inclusion in this chapter, we have limited the review to incidence and etiologic risk factors of three primary tumors that occur in the pediatric population (retinoblastoma) and adult population (uveal melanoma) and an ocular surface tumor (conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma). Using these three examples we review data derived from national cancer registries (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result (United States) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (World Health Organization). Etiologic factors such as host factors, genetic predisposition, sunlight exposure, and role of occupational hazards are also reviewed.