Identification of specific genetic changes associated with Conjunctival Melanoma

Conjunctival melanoma (ConM) are rare ocular tumours but the incidence, like that of cutaneous melanoma (CM), is increasing and sunlight exposure is considered to be a factor in their development. Little is known about the genetic changes that are associated with this malignancy. Previous studies have reported that ConMs have mutations of the BRAF and NRAS genes and recently, the TERT promoter has also been shown to be commonly mutated in the ConM form. The genetic classification of ocular melanomas, however, has shown itself to be highly reliable in determining the prognosis of patients with UM compared to their counterpart ConM.