Choroidal melanoma in an African-American albino

PURPOSE: To report the rare occurrence of choroidal melanoma in an African-American albino. METHODS: A 68 year-old African American man with oculocutaneous albinism developed an amelanotic choroidal mass in: his left eye. A transvitreal fine needle aspiration biopsy was performed to confirm the diagnosis, and the patient was treated with iodine 125 plaque radiotherapy. RESULTS: The cytology of the needle biopsy showed spindle cells with nuclear atypia and prominent nucleoli. The cells showed positive immuno-reactivity for HMB-45, supporting the diagnosis of choroidal melanoma. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a choroidal melanoma occurring in an African American albino.