Eye cancer risk

Prevention

Preventable cases of eye cancer, UK

Occupational exposures

Eye cancer  cases linked to occupational exposures, UK

The estimated lifetime risk of being diagnosed with eye cancer is 1 in 660 (less than 1%) for females, and 1 in 600 (less than 1%) for males born in 1961 in the UK. [1]

These figures take account of the possibility that someone can have more than one diagnosis of eye cancer in their lifetime ('Adjusted for Multiple Primaries' (AMP) method).[2]

See also

Lifetime risk for all cancers combined and cancers compared

Eye cancer incidence statistics

How risk is calculated

Want to generate bespoke preventable cancers stats statements? Download our interactive statement generator.

References

  1. Lifetime risk estimates calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK 2023.
  2. Sasieni PD, Shelton J, Ormiston-Smith N, et al. What is the lifetime risk of developing cancer?: The effect of adjusting for multiple primaries  Br J Cancer, 2011.105(3): p.460-5

    About this data

    Data is for UK, past and projected cancer incidence and mortality and all-cause mortality rates for those born in 1961, ICD-10 C00-C14, C30-C32.

    Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, 2023 (as yet unpublished). Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancer for people in the UK born in 1961. Based on method from Ahmad et al. 2015, using projected cancer incidence (using data up to 2018) calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK and projected all-cause mortality (using data up to 2020, with adjustment for COVID impact) calculated by Office for National Statistics. Differences from previous analyses are attributable mainly to slowing pace of improvement in life expectancy, and also to slowing/stabilising increases in cancer incidence.

    Last reviewed:

    2% (3% in males and less than 1% in females) of eye cancer cases each year in the UK are linked to major lifestyle and other risk factors.[1]

    Eye cancer risk is associated with a number of risk factors.[2,3]

    Eye Cancer Risk Factors

      Increases risk Decreases risk
    'Sufficient' or 'convincing' evidence
    • Human immunodeficiency virus type 1
    • Ultraviolet-emitting tanning devices
    • Welding
    		  
    'Limited' or 'Probable' evidence
    • Solar radiation
    		  

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classification. World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) classification does not include eye cancer because it is not generally recognised to have a relationship to food, nutrition, and physical activity.

    See also

    Want to generate bespoke preventable cancers stats statements? Download our interactive statement generator.

    Find out more about the definitions and evidence for this data

    Learn how attributable risk is calculated

    References

    1. Parkin DM, Boyd L, Walker LC. The fraction of cancer attributable to lifestyle and environmental factors in the UK in 2010. Summary and conclusions. Br J Cancer 2011; 105 (S2):S77-S81. 
    2. International Agency for Research on Cancer. List of Classifications by cancer sites with sufficient or limited evidence in humans, Volumes 1 to 122. Accessed October 2018.
    3. World Cancer Research Fund International/American Institute for Cancer Research. Continuous Update Project Findings & Reports. Accessed June 2017.
    Last reviewed:

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies the role of this risk factor in cancer development.[1]

    Uveal melanoma risk may be 2-3 times as high in occasional or frequent users of sunlamps (includes sunbeds and tanning booths), compared with never users, a case-control study showed.[2] However, evidence is mixed.[2-5]

    References

    1. List of Classifications by cancer sites with sufficient or limited evidence in humans, Volumes 1 to 122. Accessed October 2018.
    2. Seddon JM, Gragoudas ES, Glynn RJ, et al. Host factors, UV radiation, and risk of uveal melanoma. A case-control study. Arch Ophthalmol. 1990 Sep;108(9):1274-80.
    3. Tucker MA, Shields JA, Hartge P, et al. Sunlight exposure as risk factor for intraocular malignant melanoma. N Engl J Med. 1985 Sep 26;313(13):789-92.
    4. Vajdic CM, Kricker A, Giblin M, et al. Artificial ultraviolet radiation and ocular melanoma in Australia. Int J Cancer. 2004 Dec 10;112(5):896-900.
    5. Schmidt-Pokrzywniak A, Jöckel KH, Bornfeld N, et al. Positive interaction between light iris color and ultraviolet radiation in relation to the risk of uveal melanoma: a case-control study. Ophthalmology. 2009 Feb;116(2):340-8.
    Last reviewed:

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies the role of this risk factor in cancer development.[1]

    Uveal melanoma risk is 64% higher in those who get sunburned easily, compared with those who tan well, meta-analyses have shown.[2,3]

    Uveal melanoma risk is not associated with occupational sunlight exposure or outdoor leisure, meta-analyses have shown.[3,4]
     

    References

    1. List of Classifications by cancer sites with sufficient or limited evidence in humans, Volumes 1 to 122. Accessed October 2018.
    2. Weis E, Shah CP, Lajous M, et al. The association between host susceptibility factors and uveal melanoma: a meta-analysis. Arch Ophthalmol. 2006 Jan;124(1):54-60.
    3. Nayman T, Bostan C, Logan P. Uveal Melanoma Risk Factors: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses. Current Eye Research 2017;42(8):1085-1093.
    4. Shah CP, Weis E, Lajous M, et al. Intermittent and chronic ultraviolet light exposure and uveal melanoma: a meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2005 Sep;112(9):1599-607.
    Last reviewed:

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies the role of this risk factor in cancer development.[1]  An estimated 3% of eye cancers in males and less than 1% in females in the UK are linked to UV radiation from welding.[2]

    Uveal melanoma risk is doubled around twice higher in those who have ever welded, compared with those who have never welded, meta-analyses have shown.[3,4] This association is likely to be due to exposure to intermittent UV radiation.[3]

    Uveal melanoma risk is 81% higher in those who cook for a living, compared with those who do not, meta-analyses have shown.[4]
     

    References

    1. List of Classifications by cancer sites with sufficient or limited evidence in humans, Volumes 1 to 122. Accessed October 2018.
    2. Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The burden of occupational cancer in Great Britain. Technical report: melanoma. London: HSE; 2012.
    3. Shah CP, Weis E, Lajous M, et al. Intermittent and chronic ultraviolet light exposure and uveal melanoma: a meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2005 Sep;112(9):1599-607.
    4. Nayman T, Bostan C, Logan P. Uveal Melanoma Risk Factors: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses. Current Eye Research 2017;42(8):1085-1093.
    Last reviewed:

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies the role of this risk factor in cancer development.[1]

    Ocular surface squamous neoplasia (which includes cancer and pre-cancer) risk is around 8 times as high in people with HIV/AIDS, compared with those without, a meta-analysis showed.[2]

    Last reviewed:

    Family history

    Eye cancer risk is 30-50% higher in people with a first-degree relative with melanoma, compared with the general population, a pooled analysis showed.[1] Eye cancer risk is around 4-8 times higher in people with two or more first-degree relatives with melanoma, compared with the general population.[1]

    Retinoblastoma risk is 54 times higher in children with a family history of the disease, compared with the general population, a cohort study showed.[2]

    Retinoblastoma

    Retinoblastoma is caused by a mutation in the RB1 gene.[3] It is a rare type of eye cancer that mainly affects children. Around 40% of retinoblastoma cases are caused by an inherited mutation in the RB1 gene.[4] Individuals with hereditary retinoblastoma are at a significantly increased risk of developing other cancers later in life, whereas those with nonhereditary retinoblastoma are not, a cohort study showed.[5]

    References

    1. Fallah M, Pukkala E, Sundquist K, et al. Familial melanoma by histology and age: joint data from five Nordic countries. Eur J Cancer. 2014 Apr;50(6):1176-83.
    2. Yip BH, Pawitan Y, Czene K. Parental age and risk of childhood cancers: a population-based cohort study from Sweden. Int J Epidemiol. 2006 Dec;35(6):1495-503. Epub 2006 Sep 28.
    3. Lohmann DR, Gallie BL. Retinoblastoma: revisiting the model prototype of inherited cancer. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2004 Aug 15;129C(1):23-8.
    4. Ghassemi F, Khodabande A. Risk definition and management strategies in retinoblastoma: current perspectives. Clin Ophthalmol. 2015 Jun 8;9:985-94.
    5. Marees T, Moll AC, Imhof SM, et al. Risk of second malignancies in survivors of retinoblastoma: more than 40 years of follow-up. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2008 Dec 17;100(24):1771-9.
    Last reviewed:

    Moles and freckles

    Uveal melanoma risk is around 3-4 times higher in people with any unusually shaped or large moles on their skin (atypical naevi) versus people without any such moles, a meta-analysis showed.[1,2] 

    Uveal melanoma risk is 74% higher in people with common moles on their skin, meta-analyses have shown.[1,2]

    Uveal melanoma risk is 53% higher in people with moles on the iris (iris naevi), meta-analyses have shown.[2,3]

    Uveal melanoma risk is 27% higher in people with freckles, meta-analyses have shown.[1,2]

    Skin colour

    Uveal melanoma risk is 80% higher in those with fair skin, compared with those with dark skin, meta-analyses have shown.[2,3]

    Eye colour

    Uveal melanoma risk is 75% higher in those with blue or grey eyes, compared with those with brown eyes, meta-analyses have shown.[2,3]

    References

    1. Weis E, Shah CP, Lajous M, et al. The association of cutaneous and iris nevi with uveal melanoma: a meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2009 Mar;116(3):536-543.e2.
    2. Nayman T, Bostan C, Logan P. Uveal Melanoma Risk Factors: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses. Current Eye Research 2017;42(8):1085-1093.
    3. Weis E, Shah CP, Lajous M, et al. The association between host susceptibility factors and uveal melanoma: a meta-analysis. Arch Ophthalmol. 2006 Jan;124(1):54-60.
    Last reviewed:

    Cancer stats explained

    See information and explanations on terminology used for statistics and reporting of cancer, and the methods used to calculate some of our statistics.

    Cancer stats explained

    Citation

    You are welcome to reuse this Cancer Research UK content for your own work.
    Credit us as authors by referencing Cancer Research UK as the primary source. Suggested styles are:

    Web content: Cancer Research UK, full URL of the page, Accessed [month] [year].
    Publications: Cancer Research UK ([year of publication]), Name of publication, Cancer Research UK.
    Graphics (when reused unaltered): Credit: Cancer Research UK.
    Graphics (when recreated with differences): Based on a graphic created by Cancer Research UK.

    When Cancer Research UK material is used for commercial reasons, we encourage a donation to our life-saving research.
    Send a cheque payable to Cancer Research UK to: Cancer Research UK, 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ or

    Donate online

    Acknowledgements

    We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used. Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics.