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Uveal melanoma in young patients

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Abstract

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the clinical profile of young patients with uveal melanoma treated in 1995–2002 in the Department of Ophthalmology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.

Methods

Retrospective case-control series.

Results

Out of 800 patients with uveal melanoma treated between 1995 and 2002, there were 11 patients (1.4%) aged 20 or younger. The mean age of those patients was 17.9 (12–20, median 19) years. There were five men (45%) and six women (55%). In all cases, the tumor was unilateral. In five (45%) cases the tumor affected the right eye and in six (55%) cases the left eye. Eight (72%) patients were treated with local resection. Among these, eight patients, in two (18%) with iris or ciliary body melanoma we used adjuvant Ru-106 episcleral plaque brachytherapy (EPB). In two (18%) cases of choroidal melanoma, we performed I-125 EPB: one case ended with regression of the tumor, while the second did not respond to EPB and we had to enucleate the eye. In one (9%) case we performed enucleation as the primary treatment.

The mean follow-up was 61.4 months, ranging 30–125 months. All those patients are still alive and no metastases were detected.

Conclusions

Uveal melanoma is a rare malignancy in children and teenagers. In the present series, it occurred in the iris in more than 50% of cases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology and Ocular Oncology, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, ul. Kopernika 38, 31-501, Krakow, Poland

    Arkadiusz Pogrzebielski & Bożena Romanowska-Dixon

  2. Department of Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland

    Jolanta Orłowska-Heitzman

Authors
  1. Arkadiusz Pogrzebielski
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  2. Jolanta Orłowska-Heitzman
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  3. Bożena Romanowska-Dixon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Arkadiusz Pogrzebielski.

Additional information

Support was provided by the Malopolska Fundacja Ratowania Wzroku (Malopolska Foundation for Saving the Sight), Krakow, Poland (A.P., B.R.D.).

The authors have no commercial or proprietary interest in the study.

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Pogrzebielski, A., Orłowska-Heitzman, J. & Romanowska-Dixon, B. Uveal melanoma in young patients. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 244, 1646–1649 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-006-0347-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-006-0347-x

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