Background: Conjunctival melanoma is a potentially deadly eye tumour. Despite effective local therapies, tumour recurrence and metastasis remain frequent. The genetics of conjunctival melanomas remain incompletely understood.
Methods: A large cohort of 63 conjunctival melanomas was screened for gene mutations known to be important in other melanoma subtypes by targeted next-generation sequencing. Mutation status was correlated with patient prognosis.
Results: Frequent mutations in genes activating the MAP kinase pathway were identified. NF1 mutations were most frequent (n = 21, 33%). Recurrent activating mutations were also identified in BRAF (n = 16, 25%) and RAS genes (n = 12, 19%; 11 NRAS and 1 KRAS).
Conclusions: Similar to cutaneous melanomas, conjunctival melanomas can be grouped genetically into four groups: BRAF-mutated, RAS-mutated, NF1-mutated and triple wild-type melanomas. This genetic classification may be useful for assessment of therapeutic options for patients with metastatic conjunctival melanoma.