How fast do choroidal melanomas grow?
Like choroidal melanomas, they also may show overlying drusen or lipofuscin (figure 2). Statistically, of every 500 choroidal nevi, one will undergo malignant transformation if followed for 10 years; the estimated annual rate of malignant transformation is one in 8,845. 2.
What is the treatment of choice for choroidal melanoma with extraocular extension?
Thus, enucleation is considered primarily if there is a diffuse melanoma or if there is extraocular extension. Radiation complications or tumor recurrence may eventually make enucleation necessary. [45] Plaque brachytherapy is the most frequently used eye-sparing treatment for choroidal melanoma.
What causes choroidal melanoma?
Doctors know that eye melanoma occurs when errors develop in the DNA of healthy eye cells. The DNA errors tell the cells to grow and multiply out of control, so the mutated cells go on living when they would normally die. The mutated cells accumulate in the eye and form an eye melanoma.
Can a choroidal melanoma be treated in the eye?
Treating melanomas that start in the choroid depends on the size of the tumor and how well the eye functions. The smaller the tumor, the less likely surgery will be needed, unless the eye is badly damaged or vision is lost. Small melanomas: There are often several options for treating small choroidal melanomas.
How is radiation therapy used to treat choroidal melanoma?
Local radiation is delivered via a small, metal, dish-shaped device containing radioactive iodine. The device is stitched to the sclera so that the radiation can target the tumor precisely. In some institutions, external beam radiation therapy may be used. Beams of radiation target the tumor from outside the body.
When do you need to be monitored for choroidal melanoma?
If you are treated for choroidal melanoma, you will need to be monitored for the rest of your life. This helps doctors determine whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Treatment of choroidal melanoma that has already spread beyond the eye has had very limited success.
Is there an exudative retinal detachment in choroidal melanoma?
Most choroidal melanomas present with an exudative retinal detachment that can be imaged on B-scan (5). Management is dependent on the tumor size, location, and effect on the patient’s vision. Conservative therapy that aims to salvage the globe is first-line.
Treating melanomas that start in the choroid depends on the size of the tumor and how well the eye functions. The smaller the tumor, the less likely surgery will be needed, unless the eye is badly damaged or vision is lost. Small melanomas: There are often several options for treating small choroidal melanomas.
If you are treated for choroidal melanoma, you will need to be monitored for the rest of your life. This helps doctors determine whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Treatment of choroidal melanoma that has already spread beyond the eye has had very limited success.
What kind of radiotherapy is used for choroidal melanoma?
Here we describe the use of plaque radiotherapy using iodine-125 for the treatment of a patient with a medium-size choroidal melanoma. Under local sedation, a 360° peritomy was fashioned and the 4 rectus muscles were identified and isolated.
Most choroidal melanomas present with an exudative retinal detachment that can be imaged on B-scan (5). Management is dependent on the tumor size, location, and effect on the patient’s vision. Conservative therapy that aims to salvage the globe is first-line.