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Query: UMLS:C0025202 (melanoma)
 69,561 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

1. Computerized visual fields have recently been used to study patients before and after treatment of choroidal melanoma with plaque therapy. Such information is unavailable for patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma. 2. There is no information on the long term visual fields of successfully treated retinoblastoma; therefore, no comparisons can be made between the effects of photocoagulation, cryotherapy, plaques, and external beam radiation on the visual field defects. 3. External beam radiation to tumors around the optic nerve caused widespread patchy sparing because of partial destruction of the nerve fiber layer. Whether the destruction was related to the position of the tumors or the effect of the radiation is unknown.
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PMID:Visual fields in a successfully radiated retinoblastoma patient. 154 23

In the management of patients with primary malignant melanoma of the uvea, treatment techniques have included not only enucleation but also photocoagulation, cryotherapy, photoradiation, a limited resection, as well as circumstances indicating exenteration of the orbit. Surgical management has been the primary treatment program for over 100 years. In a compilation of nine reported series consisting of 2,024 enucleations, the five- and ten-year survivals following surgery were 63% and 43%, respectively. The 25-year survival has been reported to be 40%. In 1974 at Wills Eye Hospital and Hahnemann University, the cobalt-60 plaques technique was introduced. During the following years, other radioactive isotopes were introduced including iridium-192, iodine-125, ruthenium-106/rhodium-106 and more recently palladium-103. At the present time, iodine-125 is the most widely used radionuclide. Until now, 302 patients treated with plaque brachytherapy showed an actuarial survival of 77% and 67.8% at five and eight years, respectively. There was no significant survival difference when compared with a similar group of patients undergoing enucleation. Other retrospective studies show similar excellent results. In spite of these convincing results, the decision making process in management melanoma remains unsettled primarily due to the absence of prospective randomized trials. Because of this, the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study was initiated. From the standpoint of toxicity, the data are available on ocular radiation toxicity. In an analysis of 77 patients from the Wills Eye Hospital with pretreatment visual acuities of 20/25 or better, it was noted that 90% of patients who had received less than 500 Gy to the fovea retained visual acuity of 20/200 or better while only 52% of patients receiving more than 5,000 Gy to the fovea had vision of 20/200 or better. A serious late effect of radioactivity plaque treatment is scleral necrosis which may require repair or enucleation even in the absence of tumor progression. Enucleation may be necessary in approximately 10% of patients. We conclude that malignant melanoma of the uvea can be safely treated with radioactive plaques.
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PMID:Brachytherapy of choroidal melanomas. 154 47

From 1988 to 1991, 21 patients with uveal melanoma were treated in a Phase I study with episcleral plaque radiotherapy (EPRT). This irradiation was combined with localized current field episcleral hyperthermia (LCFHT). Tumor stage was: T3 = 15 (71%) and T2 = 6 (29%). Follow-up ranged from 2 to 42 months (mean 9.2 months). EPRT was given using custom built I-125 gold plaques. Radiation doses to the tumor apex ranged from 13 to 123 Gy (mean dose 70.0 Gy) given at a mean dose rate of 55 cGy/hr. LCFHT was given with 500 KHz frequency for 45 min immediately before EPRT. The temperature was controlled on the scleral surface using four thermocouples. T mean ranged from 42.5 degrees C to 45 degrees C +/- 0.5 degrees C (mean 43.4 degrees C). The study patients showed rapid tumor necrosis. A 25% mean decrease of apical tumor dimension was noted, p = 0.0007. At least ambulatory vision (greater than 5/200) was maintained by 17/21 (81%) patients. Visual acuity was seen to improve greater than 6 months post-plaque therapy in 10 (48%) study patients. This was following an intermediate decrease in visual acuity. Severe complications, including large hemorrhagic retinal detachment and large vitreous hemorrhage, were seen in two (9.5%) of the early study patients. A mean scleral temperature reduction to less than or equal to 44 degrees C +/- 0.5 degrees C resulted in good treatment tolerance and a lack of serious complications in subsequently treated patients. A Phase II prospective randomized trial comparing LCFHT with 60 versus 80 Gy EPRT dose to the tumor apex is currently being activated for patients with choroidal melanoma.
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PMID:Episcleral plaque thermoradiotherapy in patients with choroidal melanoma. 161 61

Microwave thermoradiotherapy was used as a primary treatment for 44 patients with choroidal melanoma. An episcleral dish-shaped microwave antenna was placed beneath the tumour at the time of plaque brachytherapy. While temperatures were measured at the sclera, the tumour's apex was targeted to receive a minimum of 42 degrees C for 45 minutes. In addition, the patients received full or reduced doses of plaque radiotherapy. No patients have been lost to follow-up. Two eyes have been enucleated: one for rubeotic glaucoma, and one for uveitic glaucoma. Though six patients have died, only one death was due to metastatic choroidal melanoma (39 months after treatment). Clinical observations suggest that the addition of microwave heating to plaque radiation therapy of choroidal melanoma has been well tolerated. There has been a 97.7% local control rate (with a mean follow-up of 22.2 months). We have reduced the minimum tumour radiation dose (apex dose) to levels used for thermoradiotherapy of cutaneous melanomas (50 Gy/5000 rad). Within the range of this follow-up period no adverse effects which might preclude the use of this microwave heat delivery system for treatment of choroidal melanoma have been noted.
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PMID:Microwave plaque thermoradiotherapy for choroidal melanoma. 162 49

Accurate placement of a radioactive plaque is essential in brachytherapy of choroidal melanoma. Various localization techniques, including transillumination of anteriorly located tumours and scleral indentation to mark the anterior margin of posteriorly located tumours, have been used in initially placing a plaque over the base of the tumour. Of 40 consecutive patients treated for choroidal melanoma between 1986 and 1990, 8 had posteriorly located tumours, all localized by means of scleral indentation; subretinal hemorrhage occurred in 3 of the 8 during marking of the tumour margins. No hemorrhages occurred in the 32 patients with tumours localized by means of transillumination (p less than 0.01). It is not clear whether the method of marking or the location of the tumour itself contributed to the development of the hemorrhage. Hemorrhage around the base of a tumour may mask the tumour margins, making assessment of the response to therapy difficult. Caution should be used when marking posteriorly located tumours.
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PMID:Hemorrhage associated with localization of melanoma margins during radioactive plaque placement. 163 89

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) specimens obtained from nine consecutive iris lesions were examined. The lesions included primary malignant melanoma (four cases), metastatic melanoma, metastatic adenocarcinoma, leukemic infiltrate, lymphocytic infiltrate, and epithelial ingrowth. Subsequent histopathologic correlation was performed in all cases. Patient treatment influenced by the results of the FNABs included enucleation (three cases), clinical observation (two cases), external beam irradiation (two cases), resection, and radioactive plaque application. No complications occurred from the FNABs. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the iris can be performed with local anesthesia at the slit lamp as an outpatient procedure. In general, FNAB is a safe, effective method of obtaining diagnostic material from primary neoplastic, secondary neoplastic, and degenerative processes involving the iris. Limitations of the procedure include discrepancies in interpretation of the cytologic study and inadequate specimen.
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PMID:Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the iris. 163 83

The hypertensive gas technique induces avascularity within the eye during enucleation of a melanoma. Before touching the eye for enucleation, pressure is raised to maximum by an intravitreal injection of approximately 1.4 ml of gas (perfluorocarbon, air) resulting in a rock-hard eye. Avascularity persists for the duration of enucleation. From 9/1987 to 6/1989, 15 patients with choroidal melanomas were enrolled in a prospective study with the hypertensive gas technique instead of prior radiotherapy (the death rate in that series was five out of 26 melanoma patients at three years). Inclusion criteria for the hypertensive gas technique study were the same as for our previous irradiation series: (1) absence of detectable metastases and (2) a choroidal melanoma too large for a radioactive plaque. The average base diameter of melanomas measured 13.2 mm, height 8.4 mm. The cytology was: 11x spindle, 3x mixed, 1x epithelioid cells. At re-examination in 7/1991 (average follow-up 33 months) two diabetics had died with no detectable metastases prior to death, and one of the 15 melanoma patients had died with metastases 24 months after enucleation. So far the hypertensive gas technique for enucleation of a melanoma eye seems to have no adverse effect on survival. It seems to be a simple alternative to the precautions taken otherwise and it facilitates enucleation with practically no bleeding from the globe.
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PMID:Hypertensive gas technique for enucleation of choroidal melanomas: a preliminary report. 163 63

The use and development of iodine-125 plaque therapy for choroidal malignant melanoma are described. Since 1975 experience has led to changes in plaque design and insertion techniques. Twenty-one patients were irradiated with local episcleral iodine-125 plaques. Three patients required a second plaque for tumour recurrence. Four eyes were enucleated because of continued tumour growth and a further eye was removed because of glaucoma secondary to radiation retinopathy. Two patients (9.5%) died of metastases. The remaining 19 patients are alive and clinically clear of metastases, with a mean follow up time of 73.1 months (range 43-142 months).
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PMID:Improved iodine-125 plaque design in the treatment of choroidal malignant melanoma. 173 23

We compared the ocular radiation distribution of palladium 103 (103Pd) vs iodine 125 (125I) ophthalmic plaques sewn to 12 human donor eyes. We then performed preoperative comparative simulations on the first seven patients to be treated with palladium 103 plaque therapy for choroidal melanoma. The in vitro experiment involved palladium 103 seeds placed into a Silastic seed holder, which was affixed into standard 14-mm gold eye plaques. Then the plaques were sewn onto 12 human donor eyes so as to approximate either the nasal (six eyes) or temporal (six eyes) equator. Three sets of two thermoluminescent dosimeters were used to quantify the amount of radiation delivered by the episcleral plaques. Thermoluminescent dosimeters were sewn to the sclera in three locations: on the center of the cornea, on the sclera beneath the macula, and at the equator in a position opposite the plaque. This experiment was then repeated with iodine 125 seeds and thermoluminescent dosimeters. After the plaques were adjusted to equalize their activity (plaque strength), the palladium 103 plaques were found to deliver less radiation to the three target points. Comparative clinical dosimetry also reflected this difference. Preoperative simulations comparing equal doses to the tumors' apex revealed that the palladium 103 ophthalmic plaques delivered more radiation to the tumor and less radiation to most normal ocular structures.
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PMID:Palladium 103 ophthalmic plaque radiotherapy. 175 46

Ten patients with large melanomas and one patient with recurrent retinoblastoma were treated with combined localized current field (LCF) hyperthermia and iodine 125 irradiation delivered by episcleral plaque. Tumors were heated to 43 degrees to 45 degrees C for 28 to 45 minutes. Localized current field hyperthermia when combined with irradiation appeared to induce rapid tumor necrosis. One eye enucleated 17 hours after treatment showed only focal necrosis of the melanoma, while another eye demonstrated extensive necrosis 60 hours after treatment. In all remaining eyes, tumor regression occurred within the first month of treatment. Complications included cataract formation in six eyes, hemorrhagic retinal detachment in five eyes, and phthisis in two eyes. Complications from combined therapy of large intraocular tumors in this series appeared to result from the rapid necrosis of the tumor and secondary intraocular inflammation. Intraocular temperature dosimetry measurements demonstrated a temperature gradient of not more than -0.23 degrees C/mm-1 per axial millimeter from the episcleral plaque surface to the apex of the tumor. The authors believe that LCF hyperthermia could be a suitable means of application of hyperthermia in patients with intraocular tumors if further modifications were performed to reduce ocular complications.
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PMID:Combined localized current field hyperthermia and irradiation for intraocular tumors. 177 18


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