The evolving role of radiation therapy in the management of malignant melanoma.

The incidence of melanoma is rising in the United States, leading to an estimated 68,720 new diagnoses and 8,650 deaths annually. The natural history involves metastases to lymph nodes, lung, liver, brain, and often to other sites. Primary treatment for melanoma is surgical excision of the primary tumor and affected lymph nodes.

A unique presentation of grouped congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium.

Purpose: To describe a unique presentation of grouped congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE) and to review the clinical features which differentiate grouped CHRPE from the pigmented ocular fundus lesions (POFLs) associated with familial cancer syndromes.

Methods: Report of a case.

Results: A 28-year-old asymptomatic, Caucasian female demonstrated multiple small, flat, dark brown to black clusters of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) hypertrophy on dilated fundus examination of both eyes.

Current appraisal of conjunctival melanocytic tumors: classification and treatment.

Conjunctival melanocytic tumors represent a spectrum of pigmented tumors that include benign, premalignant and malignant tumors. Conjunctival nevi are the most common pigmented tumors and are typically found in the interpalpebral bulbar conjunctiva. These lesions usually contain fine clear cysts on slit lamp biomicroscopy.

Optical coherence tomography enhanced depth imaging of choroidal tumors.

Purpose: To describe the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) features of choroidal tumors imaged using enhanced depth imaging (EDI) technique.

Design: Prospective observational case series.

Methods: One tumor each from 23 eyes of 23 patients was included.

Male breast carcinoma metastatic to the choroid: report of 3 cases and review of the literature.

Purpose: To describe breast cancer as a source of choroidal metastasis in men and highlight the diagnostic and treatment modalities.

Methods: Retrospective, noncomparative case series of male patients with breast cancer metastatic to the choroid. A literature review of the previously reported cases was also conducted.

Circulating tumor cells in uveal melanoma.

Despite advances in the diagnosis and local tumor control, the overall mortality rate for uveal melanoma remains high because of the development of metastatic disease. The clinical and histopathological systems currently being used to classify patients are not sufficiently accurate to predict metastasis. Tumor genotyping has demonstrated significant promise but obtaining tumor tissue can be problematic.

The impact of intravitreal bevacizumab therapy on choroidal melanoma.

Purpose: To describe the clinical course and ancillary findings of 3 patients with choroidal melanoma who inadvertently received multiple intravitreal injections of bevacizumab for a presumed diagnosis of choroidal neovascular membrane.

Design: Observational case series.

Methods: Three patients with choroidal melanomas who received a series of monthly intravitreal injections of bevacizumab for presumed choroidal neovascularization were evaluated.

3D Spectral domain optical coherence tomography findings in choroidal tumors.

Purpose: To report the optical coherence tomographic features differentiating choroidal nevus from choroidal melanoma by 3D spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and OCT characteristics of other choroidal tumors.

Methods: A total of 67 consecutive eyes with choroidal tumors including choroidal nevus (25 eyes), indeterminate choroidal melanocytic lesion (11 eyes), malignant melanoma (23 eyes), metastasis (4 eyes), hemangioma (2 eyes), and osteoma (2 eyes) were imaged with 3D SD-OCT (OCT-1000; Topcon Inc., Paramus, NJ).

Verteporfin photodynamic therapy of six eyes with retinal capillary haemangioma.

Purpose: Single-centre consecutive interventional case series by retrospective chart review to evaluate the efficacy of verteporfin (Visudyne™) photodynamic therapy (PDT) of retinal capillary haemangioma (RCH).

Methods: Following an initial period of observation, six eyes of five patients with RCH (juxtapapillary 3 and extrapapillary (EP) 3) received 1-3 sessions of standard verteporfin PDT upon the development of progressive vision-threatening complications. Four of the five patients had von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease.

Vascular tumors of the retina and choroid: diagnosis and treatment.

The vascular tumors of the retina and choroid comprise a diverse group of congenital and acquired lesions. The major vascular tumors of the retina include retinal capillary hemangioma, cavernous hemangioma of the retina, retinal vasoproliferative tumor, and racemose hemangiomatosis of the retina or Wyburn-Mason syndrome. Choroidal vascular tumors include circumscribed choroidal hemangioma and diffuse choroidal hemangioma.

Unifocal and multifocal reactive lymphoid hyperplasia vs follicular lymphoma of the ocular adnexa.

Purpose: To characterize the differentiating histopathologic and immunophenotypic features of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH) and follicular lymphoma of the ocular adnexa.

Design: Retrospective case study with clinical follow-up and review of the literature.

Methods: Clinical records of 9 cases of RLH and 6 cases of follicular lymphoma from 2 institutions were reviewed.

Myeloma-associated orbital amyloidosis.

Orbital amyloidosis is extremely rare and may be localized finding or secondary to a systematic process. The majority of the patients with orbital amyloidosis have primary localized disease. We report a 55 year old male with multiple myeloma and secondary amyloidosis who presented with incidental bilateral orbital masses on MRI.

Fourier domain optical coherence tomographic and auto-fluorescence findings in indeterminate choroidal melanocytic lesions.

Aim: To compare detection rates of drusen and subretinal fluid by Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD OCT) and orange pigment by fundus autofluorescence (FAF) with ophthalmoscopy in indeterminate choroidal melanocytic lesions.

Methods: In a consecutive case series of 38 patients with indeterminate choroidal melanocytic lesion that would have been categorised as a small tumour according to the size-based nomenclature used in the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study, each eye was submitted to ophthalmoscopic examination, FD OCT and FAF. The presence of drusen, subretinal fluid and orange pigment was recorded for each lesion by a single observer at the time of initial ophthalmoscopic evaluation and on fundus photographs.