Objective: This study aimed to compare the prognostic value and the predictive accuracy of the PC-10 cell cycling marker with the largest tumor diameter, the mean of the largest nucleoli, and vascular patterns in posterior uveal melanoma.
Design: The study design was a case-control study.
Participants: Eyes enucleated for posterior uveal melanoma from patients who either died of metastatic melanoma or survived without signs of metastatic disease 10 years or more after surgery were studied.
Intervention: Three observers assessed the above prognostic indicators and standard histopathologic characteristics from microslides without access to survival data.
Main outcome measures: Univariate and multivariate Cox models for survival were constructed, and a multiparameter prognostic index was calculated for each patient, based on covariates obtained from the final Cox model. The prognostic accuracy was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.
Results: The log PC-10 count, vascular networks, mean of the largest nucleoli, largest tumor diameter, age of patient, and prognostic index were independently associated with outcome. However, each of these indicators had no more than a poor-to-moderate predictive accuracy, and only the prognostic index was significantly better than the largest tumor diameter.
Conclusions: The PC-10 count retains a prognostic value in uveal melanoma when adjusting for the effect of the mean of the largest nucleoli and diverse vascular patterns. A prognostic index combining two or more indicators may improve the predictive precision.