Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary malignant ocular tumour in adults,
although its epidemiology in Central and Eastern Europe is unclear. This study aimed
to analyse the incidence and all-cause mortality of UM in Hungary. This nationwide,
retrospective, longitudinal study used data from the National Health Insurance Fund
and included patients aged ≥18 years who were newly diagnosed with UM (ICD-10 C69.3
or C69.4) between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2021. Age-standardised incidence
and all-cause mortality rates were calculated using European Standard Population data
from 2013. We identified 88 and 70 new patients with UM in 2012 and 2021, respectively,
showing an almost stable trend. Age-standardised incidence rates varied between 6.40
and 10.96/1,000,000 person-years (PYs) during the analysed period. The highest age-standardised
incidence was detected among men (13.38/1,000,000 PYs) in 2015. All-cause mortality
decreased from 4.72/1,000,000 PYs to 0.79/1,000,000 PYs between 2012 and 2021. In
conclusion, the UM incidence rate in Hungary is comparable to European incidence rates.
The incidence did not markedly change, whereas all-cause mortality decreased during
the study period, but this decline could not be attributed to improved treatment modalities
for primary tumours and metastatic UM.
