Primary noncutaneous melanoma

Approximately 6.4% of all melanomas come from noncutaneous sites, such as t he eye, mucosa, and central nervous system. Primary noncutaneous melanomas tend to have a much worse prognosis than their cutaneous counterpart and do not respond well to treatment. Such factors as late tumor excision and lac k of physician awareness contribute to the poor survival of patients with n oncutaneous melanoma. Although sun exposure is a risk factor for cutaneous melanoma, it has not shown to increase the risk for noncutaneous melanoma.