Clinical spectrum, treatment and outcomes of uveal melanoma in a tertiary centre.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, diagnostic challenges, treatment patterns and outcomes of uveal melanoma (UM) in a tertiary care centre. METHODS: This is a retrospective case series of 11 consecutive patients with UM who were managed in a tertiary referral centre between 2002 and 2017. Epidemiological, clinical, pathological and radiological characteristics were reviewed. Classification of choroidal melanoma as small, medium or large was based on the criteria established by the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study. RESULTS: Mean age at presentation was 42.9 (range 27‒67) years. In 7 (64%) patients, a definitive diagnosis of UM was made after a mean follow-up period of 6.4 (range 1‒17) months. There were one, six and four patients with small-, medium- and large-sized choroidal melanomas, respectively. Treatment was enucleation in 5 (45.5%) patients, plaque brachytherapy in 4 (36.4%) patients, transpupillary thermotherapy in 1 (9.1%) patient, and observation in 1 (9.1%) patient. Median follow-up was 29 months. Metastatic disease developed in 5 (45.5%) patients at the mean age of 46.6 (range 38‒56) years, with median overall survival of 20 months. Genetic mutations in three patients were monosomy 3 (n = 2), and gain of 3q and 8q (n = 1). CONCLUSION: Our study supports the finding that UM in Chinese and Asian Indian patients presents at a younger age than in Caucasians. Although it is rare, ophthalmologists should remain mindful of this life-threatening disease. We propose establishing a national and regional registry for ocular tumours with genetic information to characterise the disease spectrum in Southeast Asia.

[Choroidal metastases]. / Metástasis coroideas.

Uveal metastases are the most frequent malign intraocular tumour, of which more than 80% are localized in the choroids. This, together with the progressive increase in its incidence, makes its study and review necessary for a correct diagnosis and treatment in current clinical practice. Etiology varies according to the sex of the patient: lung carcinoma metastasises most frequently in men and breast carcinoma in women. These tend to multifocality and are generally localized in the posterior pole. Fifty percent of cases follow an asymptomatic development, but they can cause loss of vision, scotomas, metamorphopsias and photopsias. Charactersitic ophthamoscopic examination shows a placoid, homogenous choroidal lesion with a creamy appearance. The differential diagnosis must consider the amelanotic nevus, choroidal amelanotic melanoma, choroidal haemangioma, rear scleritis, choroidal osteoma, chorioretinitis, Harada's disease, rhegmatogenous retina detachment, uveal effusion syndrome, and serous central chorioretinopathy. An exhaustive history and complete ophthalmological examination are essential to the diagnosis, to which fluorescein angiography, ocular echography, fine needle puncture aspiration (FNPA), computerized tomography and magnetic resonance can be added as complementary tests. Treatment of these tumours is usually the systemic treatment of the primary tumour; the possibilities of local treatment are observation, external radiotherapy, transpupillary thermotherapy and enucleation.

[The prevalence of bilateral malignant uveal melanoma]. / Zur Häufigkeit bilateraler maligner Melanome der Aderhaut.

BACKGROUND: Malignant melanoma of the choroid is the most common ocular primary malignancy, but is still a rare tumour. The occurrence of bilateral uveal melanoma is exceedingly rare. The probability of any one individual developing bilateral melanoma is estimated to be 1 to 50 million. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective search of the photo database of patients between 1970 and 2006 with uveal melanoma was performed. RESULTS: Four patients with bilateral melanoma were identified. The case reports of the two females and two males are presented. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, bilateral primary uveal melanoma seems to occur more frequently than expected. The estimated probability for patients with unilateral primary uveal melanoma of developing bilateral melanoma is 0.2 %. In single cases the interval between the occurrence of the second melanoma can be more than 30 years. In patients with a history of malignant melanoma of the choroid it is important to carefully observe the other eye life-long.