Tumors of the iris are uncommon; the accumulation of a sizable number of cases requires considerable time, and the problems of a long-term clinical follow-up are numerous. This study deals with the primary tumors of the iris examined in the pathology laboratory of the Wilmer Institute between 1925 and 1956, with special emphasis upon a few of the associated clinical findings, upon the histopathological characteristics of these tumors, and upon the ultimate fate of the patients who had harbored them.
Since the first histologic description of an iris melanoma, given by Tay13 in 1866, there have been a number of reports of iris tumors. In 1879 Knapp9 recorded three of his own cases and reviewed the literature. Wood and Pusey,14 in 1902, again reviewed the literature, reporting on a total of 83 cases of primary iris sarcomas. Their paper was thorough, but the follow-up period was short.