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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 8
| Issue : 2 | Page : 157 |
|
Response to "Ocular Melanoma: A Rare Entity"
Mahmood Dhahir Al-Mendalawi
Department of Paediatrics, Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
| Date of Submission | 22-Feb-2020 |
| Date of Decision | 29-Sep-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 15-Oct-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 8-Dec-2020 |
Correspondence Address:
Mahmood Dhahir Al-Mendalawi
Department of Paediatrics, Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, P.O. Box 55302, Baghdad Post Office, Baghdad
Iraq
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jhnps.jhnps_8_20
How to cite this article:
Al-Mendalawi MD. Response to "Ocular Melanoma: A Rare Entity". J Head Neck Physicians Surg 2020;8:157 |
Sir,
I read with interest the case report by Nagarkar et al.[1] published in the July–December 2019 issue of the Journal of Head and Neck Physicians and Surgeons. The authors described a case of melanoma of the eyeball in an Indian patient. It is explicit that due to a weak immune system, individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have increased susceptibility to various types of tumors compared to individuals with an intact immune system.[2] Among these tumors, melanoma has been reported in HIV-positive patients.[3] In India, HIV infection is an alarming health threat. The available data pointed out that the national adult HIV seroprevalence was estimated at 0.22% (0.16%–0.30%) in 2017.[4] I assume that HIV infection ought to be critically considered in the case in question. Nagarkar et al.[1] did not consider HIV infection as the diagnostic algorithm employed in the studied patient did not include regrettably HIV testing. Hence, the diagnostic panel for HIV detection would have envisaged. If that panel was to show HIV reactivity, the case in question could be surely regarded the second case report of ocular melanoma in the literature. The first case was reported more than two decades ago.[5]
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
Disclosure
This material has never been published and is not currently under evaluation in any other peer reviewed publication.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Nagarkar R, Roy S, Wagh A, Kokane G, Adhav A, Pawar S. Ocular melanoma: A rare entity. J Head Neck Physicians Surg 2019;7:79-81.  [Full text] |
| 2. | Abbar B, Veyri M, Solas C, Poizot-Martin I, Spano JP. HIV and cancer: Update 2020. Bull Cancer 2020;107:21-9. |
| 3. | Olsen CM, Knight LL, Green AC. Risk of melanoma in people with HIV/AIDS in the pre- and post-HAART eras: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. PLoS One 2014;9:e95096. |
| 4. | Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Aids Control Organisation. HIV Facts and Figures. Available from: http://naco.gov.in/hiv-facts-figures. [Last accessed on 2020 Feb 20]. |
| 5. | Abramson DH, Servodidio CA. Ocular melanoma and human immunodeficiency virus infection. Insight 1996;21:86-8. |
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