Incidence and Mortality of Uveal Melanoma in Hungary: A Nationwide Study

Simple Summary Although rare, uveal melanoma is the most common primary malignant ocular tumour in adults. Despite developments in the local treatment of uveal melanoma (such as proton beam therapy and brachytherapy) and the systemic treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma (such as chemoimmunotherapy and protein kinase inhibitors), no extended survival has been reported during the last few decades. The incidence of uveal melanoma differs between countries because of differences in ethnicities. White people may be more likely to develop uveal melanoma. Several studies have reported the epidemiology of uveal melanoma in Western Europe and worldwide. However, no studies have published data on uveal melanoma, neither in Hungary nor in Central and Eastern Europe. This study aimed to estimate the incidence and all-cause mortality of uveal melanoma in the adult population in Hungary.Abstract Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary malignant ocular tumour in adults, although its epidemiology in Central and Eastern Europe is unclear. This study aimed to analyse the incidence and all-cause mortality of UM in Hungary. This nationwide, retrospective, longitudinal study used data from the National Health Insurance Fund and included patients aged >= 18 years who were newly diagnosed with UM (ICD-10 C69.3 or C69.4) between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2021. Age-standardised incidence and all-cause mortality rates were calculated using European Standard Population data from 2013. We identified 88 and 70 new patients with UM in 2012 and 2021, respectively, showing an almost stable trend. Age-standardised incidence rates varied between 6.40 and 10.96/1,000,000 person-years (PYs) during the analysed period. The highest age-standardised incidence was detected among men (13.38/1,000,000 PYs) in 2015. All-cause mortality decreased from 4.72/1,000,000 PYs to 0.79/1,000,000 PYs between 2012 and 2021. In conclusion, the UM incidence rate in Hungary is comparable to European incidence rates. The incidence did not markedly change, whereas all-cause mortality decreased during the study period, but this decline could not be attributed to improved treatment modalities for primary tumours and metastatic UM.