Abstract
The importance of hereditary factors in etiologic studies of malignant neoplasms in man are analyzed by a review of 45 patients with histologically confirmed intraocular melanoma, by detailed study of six families containing 15 relatives with confirmed lesions and by a survey of ophthalmologists and dermatologists. The various sources indicate that familial occurrence of intraocular melanoma is rare. It was found only once in the 45 patients and three times in the survey of ophthalmologists and dermatologists. But, when a familial occurrence is observed, the lesion tends to follow an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Intraocular melanoma, whether in the 45 patients or in familial cases, showed no predilection for sex or for the right or left eyes. No association with the ABO and Rh blood group systems was observed. Intraocular melanoma in the 45 patients was first diagnosed about 20 years later in life than that observed in the familial cases. This difference is in keeping with other hereditary cancers which also show an earlier age at first diagnosis than the same neoplasm in the general population.