eye cancer
Meaning of eye cancer: Eye cancer includes several distinct cancer types affecting different eye tissues, ranging from pigment producing cells to the retina itself.
Definition of eye cancer
Eye cancer refers to cancer that develops in or around the structures of the eye, encompassing several distinct types that arise from different tissues. Melanoma, which develops from pigment producing cells, is among the more common cancers to affect the eye in adults, most often arising within the eye itself rather than on its surface.
Other types include carcinoma, arising from the cells covering certain eye structures, and lymphoma, arising from immune system cells that can involve the eye or surrounding tissue. Retinoblastoma, a cancer that develops from cells of the retina, is distinct from these other types in that it occurs almost exclusively in young children.
Because these cancers arise from very different tissues within or around the eye, their typical age of onset, growth pattern, and treatment approach vary considerably from one type of eye cancer to another.
Used in a sentence
The patient was referred to an ophthalmologist after imaging raised concern for possible eye cancer.
Good to know
Eye cancer covers several biologically distinct diseases rather than one condition, so the specific type involved, rather than the general term, determines what is known about its typical behavior.