Characteristics, management, and outcome of squamous carcinoma of the conjunctiva in a single tertiary cancer center in Jordan.

AIM: To evaluate the features and outcome of management of malignant conjunctival squamous tumors in King Hussein Cancer Center (a referral tertiary cancer center in the Middle East). METHODS: Retrospective case series of 31 eyes for 31 patients with conjunctival squamous neoplasia. Main outcome measures included: age, gender, laterality, tumor location, pathological features, tumor stage, treatment modality, and outcome. RESULTS: Twenty (65%) patients were males and median age was 58y. Twenty-two (71%) eyes had the tumor in the nasal quadrant. Tumor invasion to nearby structures was seen in 19 (61%) eyes, including the cornea, fornix, eyelid, and orbit in 17 (55%), 1 (3%), 2 (6%), and 3 (10%) eyes, respectively. Eye salvage was achieved by surgical excision with cryotherapy followed by topical chemotherapy in 28 (90%) eyes, and orbital exenteration was necessary in 3 (10%) eyes due to orbital tumor invasion. Tumor recurrence was seen in 7 (23%) eyes, and the significant predictive factors for recurrence were tumor extension onto the nearby structures (P=0.04), tumor invasiveness (P=0.038), and tumor TNM stage (P=0.031). No significant change in visual acuity was seen, and disease related mortality was 6% (2 patients, both had orbital invasion by invasive squamous carcinoma). CONCLUSION: Conjunctival squamous carcinoma is more common in males. Advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) T-stage, tumor local invasion, more pathologically aggressive tumors, and surgical treatment alone (without adjuvant therapy) are associated with higher risk for recurrence, and orbital invasion is the most important poor prognostic factor for metastasis and death. Treatment strategies should be affected by tumor characteristics at presentation.

Characteristics, management, and outcome of patients with uveal melanoma treated by Iodine-125 radioactive plaque therapy in a single tertiary cancer center in Jordan.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate King Hussein Cancer Center experience in using Iodine-125 COMS radioactive plaque for treatment of Uveal Melanoma in Jordan. METHODS: Retrospective case series of eyes with uveal melanoma treated by Iodine-125 COMS radioactive plaque therapy. Data collection required access to medical, radiology, Labs and pathology reports. Main outcomes studied includes: Demographics, tumor features, eye salvage, visual outcome, metastasis, and mortality. RESULTS: Between September 2008 and March 2015, 28 eyes for 28 patients had intraocular uveal melanoma and treated by Iodine-125 radioactive plaque therapy. The mean age at diagnosis was 48 years and 16(57%) were males. The mean tumor thickness was 8 mm (range: 4-13 mm), and 27(96%) patients had medium or large size tumor. The radioactive plaques used had a median size of 16 mm (range: 12-20 mm). The mean apical dose was 83.5 Gy (range 81-87 Gy), and the median radiation rate was 7.25 (range: 4.5-13). At median follow up of 2 years (range 0.5-7 years), eye salvage rate was 93%. Four (15%) patients had distance metastasis, and 3(11%) were dead. Fifty percent of patient had visual acuity better than 20/200 at the last date of follow up. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary results are encouraging and are comparable to another countries worldwide. The use of Iodine-125 COMs plaque therapy at the inspection of implementation of plaque therapy in the developing countries can lead to eye salvage in more than 90% of cases, and reserves functional vision in more than 50% of cases.

Management and Outcome of Uveal Melanoma in a Single Tertiary Cancer Center in Jordan.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was evaluate the features and outcome of management of uveal melanoma in King Hussein Cancer Center as an example of a referral tertiary cancer center in the Middle East. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This was aetrospective, observational case series of 46 eyes of 46 patients with uveal melanoma. Data collection required access to medical records, radiology and pathology reports, and laboratory results. The main outcome measures included age at diagnosis, tumor location and dimensions, TNM stage, treatment modality, visual outcome, metastasis, and mortality. RESULTS: There was slight female preference, and the median age at diagnosis was 45 years. Eighteen (39%) eyes were treated by primary enucleation, and 28 (61%) eyes were treated by I-125 radioactive plaque. The melanoma was in the choroid in 40 (87%) eyes and in the ciliary body in 6 (13%) eyes, with no single tumor in the iris. According to the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system (UICC/AJCC); 8 (17%) were T1, 17 (36%) were T2, 16 (35%) were T3, and 5 (11%) were T4. One (2%) patient showed lymph node metastasis (N1), and 6 (13%) patients showed distant metastasis (M1). Pathologically, 2 (10%) of the enucleated eyes were spindle cell type, 4 (20%) were epithelioid cell type, and 14 (70%) were mixed type. Extrascleral extension was seen in three (15%) eyes, and optic nerve invasion in two (10%) eyes. After brachytherapy, 26 (93%) eyes were salvaged, and 2 eyes were consecutively enucleated; one for tumor recurrence, and one for uncontrolled painful neovascular glaucoma. The eye salvage rate post plaque was 93% (26/28), and the visual acuity for the salvaged eyes was equal or better than 0.5 in 11 (42%) eyes, 0.1-0.4 in 5 (19%) eyes, and less than 0.1 in 10 (38%) eyes. CONCLUSION: The incidence of uveal melanomas in our region is low compared to that in the West with a younger age at presentation. Candidate tumors for radioactive plaque therapy were successfully controlled in 93% of cases.

PREDICTIVE VALUE OF TNM CLASSIFICATION, INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION, AND REESE-ELLSWORTH STAGING OF RETINOBLASTOMA FOR THE LIKELIHOOD OF HIGH-RISK PATHOLOGIC FEATURES.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the predictive value of the seventh edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC/UICC) TNM classification, the International Classification of Retinoblastoma (ICRB), and Reese-Ellsworth staging for retinoblastoma for the likelihood of high-risk pathologic features. METHODS: A retrospective study of 50 primarily enucleated eyes from 49 retinoblastoma patients. Main outcome measures included demographics, TNM stage, ICRB group, Reese-Ellsworth stage, choroid, optic nerve, and anterior chamber invasion. RESULTS: The median age at enucleation was 30 months. High-risk pathologic features mandating adjuvant chemotherapy were seen in 5 of T2 eyes (22%), in 15 of T3 eyes (56%) (P = 0.021), in 1 of ICRB Group C eyes (13%), 8 of Group D eyes (33%), and 11 of Group E eyes (61%) (P = 0.035). High-risk pathologic features were 4.61 and 3.68 times more likely to be diagnosed at a more advanced T stage and ICRB group consecutively, whereas 0.133 time less likely to be diagnosed at a more advanced Reese-Ellsworth stage. At median follow-up of 40 months, no single case had metastasis or was dead. CONCLUSION: The higher tumor clinical TNM stage and the more advanced ICRB group at presentation are associated with higher frequency of high-risk pathologic features and may predict which patients should receive adjuvant chemotherapy.

A histopathologic analysis of 50 eyes primarily enucleated for retinoblastoma in a tertiary cancer center in Jordan.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the histopathologic features of the eyes with intraocular retinoblastoma primarily treated by enucleation in a tertiary cancer center in Jordan. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective case series of 50 eyes for 49 patients who had pathologically confirmed retinoblastoma after enucleation as primary therapy. The main outcome measures included demographics, laterality, international classification of intraocular retinoblastoma, choroid invasion, optic nerve invasion, anterior chamber invasion, and tumor differentiation. RESULTS: The median age at enucleation was 30 months. Twenty-seven (55%) patients were males, and 19 (39%) patients had bilateral retinoblastoma. High risk pathological features were seen as massive choroid invasion in 9 (18%) eyes, post-laminar optic nerve invasion in 7 (14%) eyes, and anterior chamber, iris or ciliary body invasion in 7 (14%) eyes. Thirty-seven (74%) tumors were well/moderately differentiated, and 13 (26%) were poorly differentiated. Poorly differentiated tumors presented later (median 31 months) than well/ moderately differentiated tumors (26 months) and were associated with a higher incidence of high-risk pathological features. No single ICRB group C eye had high-risk pathological features, while 17% and 4% of group D eyes and 28% and 33% of group E eyes had massive choroid invasion and post-laminar optic nerve invasion, respectively. Eighteen (36%) patients received adjuvant chemotherapy for high risk pathological features, and at median follow up of 40 months, no single case had metastasis or was dead. CONCLUSION: Our pathologic findings were similar to the developed world. They were supportive of the predictive power of the international classification of retinoblastoma staging system for the likelihood of high risk pathological features. Poorly differentiated tumors were associated with a higher incidence of high risk pathological features than well/moderately differentiated tumors.

Retinoblastoma in Jordan: an epidemiological study (2006-2010).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The epidemiological characteristics of retinoblastoma have been extensively studied in developed countries, however epidemiological data is scarce in the Middle East. We present a de- tailed epidemiological analysis of retinoblastoma in Jordan in an attempt to aid national and regional strategies for improved cancer surveillance and control. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective review of retinoblastoma cases presenting to the sole and exclusive ocular oncology referral center in Jordan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty children (59 eyes) presenting with clinically and/or histologically confirmed retinoblastomas were treated at King Hussein Cancer Center (Amman, Jordan) between January 2006 and December 2010. This case series included 28 boys and 12 girls. Data relating to age at diagnosis, laterality, gender, treatment modality and survival were recorded. RESULTS: The mean age-adjusted incidence of retinoblastoma in Jordan was 9.32 cases per million children per year for children aged 0-5 years. The male: female ratio was 2.3:1. Bilateral cases were encountered in 19 pa- tients (47.5%) while 21 patients (52.5%) harbored unilateral retinoblastoma. At the time of follow-up, 38 patients (95%) were alive. Overall, 40 eyes (67.8%) were successfully preserved without the need for enucleation. CONCLUSIONS: The national epidemiological data gathered in this study indicates that the incidence of retinoblastoma in Jordan is similar to that reported in various countries of the world. Jordanian boys, however, are at significantly higher risk for developing retinoblastoma than age-matched girls. Furthermore, Jordanian patients are more likely to harbor bilateral retinoblastoma.