Monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry were used to study lymphocyte, monocyte and tumor cell antigen expression in uveal melanoma. Forty-one melanomas were studied after various forms of treatment. An antimelanoma antibody, 13A3E, stained 81.7% of the cells. Tumors treated with helium ions or ^l25I plaques had 13A3E staining reduced to 62.5%, p = 0.011. HLA-ABC stained 85.4%, and HLA-DR stained 7.0% of the cells. T cells (CD3 positive) comprised 4.5 % (range 0.1–29.2 %) of total cell population. Natural killer (NK) cells, B cells and macrophages were present in small numbers (mean < 2.5 % in each case). Tumors with numerous T cells ( > 5%), were used for T cell subtype studies. The mean helper/inducer (CD4) to cytotoxic/suppressor (CD8) ratio was 1.00 (range 0.11–3.15). CD8 decreased, and CD4 increased with age in unirradiated tumors (p < 0.02)

Understanding tumor growth patterns has implications for prognosis as well as for response and susceptibility to treatment. The antibody Ki-67 was used as a marker of cycling cells and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) was used as a marker of proliferating cells to characterize the cycling and proliferative rates of cells from human choroidal melanoma. The BrdUrd labeling indices varied from 0-1.1% and the Ki-67 labeling indices ranged from 0-3.0.3%. Linear regression modeling showed good correlation defined by the equation: Ki-67 index = 0.237 + 1.63 x BrdUrd labeling index with r = 0.919. Correlations between these indices and clinical and histologic parameters were not significant.

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