What is eye cancer?
Eye cancer starts in the cells in or around the eye. The eye is the organ that lets you see. Each eye is made up of the:
- eyeball
- adnexal structures of the eye (the eyelid, conjunctiva and tear gland)
- eye socket
Your eyes connect to the
Cells in or around the eye sometimes change and no longer grow or behave normally. These changes may lead to non-cancerous (benign) conditions such as a nevus (eye mole). They can also lead to non-cancerous tumours such as a choroidal hemangioma or pterygium.
Changes to cells in or around the eye can also cause precancerous conditions. This means that the abnormal cells are not yet cancer, but there is a chance that they will become cancer if they aren’t treated. The most common precancerous condition of the eye is primary acquired melanosis (PAM) of the conjunctiva. Another precancerous condition of the eye is conjunctival intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).
But in some cases, changes to the cells in or around the eye can cause eye cancer. A cancerous (malignant) tumour is a group of cancer cells that can grow into nearby tissue and destroy it. The cancer can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.
There are different types of eye cancer that start in different types of cells.
Most often, eye cancer in adults starts in melanocytes within the eyeball. Melanocytes make melanin, which is what gives the eyes, skin and hair their colour. Melanoma of the eye most often develops in the uvea, which is part of the eyeball. This type of eye cancer is called uveal melanoma. It is a type of intraocular melanoma. (Intraocular means “within the eyeball.”)
The second most common type of eye cancer in adults begins in lymphocytes of the eye. Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell. Lymphoma of the eye is often called intraocular lymphoma. In most cases, it is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Another type of cancer that can develop in the eye is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Squamous cells are flat, thin cells that line many parts of the body. They are in the conjunctiva and eyelids. When SCC affects the eyelids, it is considered a type of non-melanoma skin cancer.
Retinoblastoma is the most common eye cancer in children. It starts in the cells of the retina. Find out more about retinoblastoma.
Other types of cancer can spread to the eye, but this is not the same disease as primary eye cancer. Cancer that starts in another part of the body and spreads to the eye is called eye metastasis. Eye metastasis is more common than primary eye cancer. It is not treated in the same way as primary eye cancer. Cancer most often spreads to the eye from the breast and lung.
The eyes
Cancerous tumours of the eye
Precancerous conditions of the eye
Non-cancerous tumours of the eye
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