What are the key statistics for eye cancer?

The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for the United States are for 2012:

• 2,610 new cases of cancers (primarily melanoma) of the eye and orbit: 1,310 in men and 1,300 in women.
• 270 deaths from cancer of the eye: 120 in men and 150 in women.

Primary eye cancers can occur at any age, but most occur in people over age 50. The incidence of eye melanomas has been fairly stable over the past few decades. Cancers that spread to the eye from another part of the body (secondary eye cancers) are actually more common than primary eye cancers.

Most cancers of the eye and orbit in adults are melanomas, with lymphomas being the next most common. Both of these cancers start more often in other parts of the body. More than 9 out of 10 melanomas start in the skin, while most lymphomas begin in lymph nodes.