Radiation effects on the optic nerve observed after brachytherapy of choroidal melanomas with 106Ru/106Rh plaques.

From 1966 to 1990 a total of 93 juxtapapillary choroidal melanomas were treated using 106Ru/106Rh plaques with a notch for the optic nerve. The choroidal melanoma was controlled after brachytherapy in 79 cases (85%). Fourteen eyes (15%) had to be enucleated because of tumor regrowth.

[Spontaneous growth inhibition in retinoblastoma].

Report on 8 cases with spontaneous arrest of retinoblastoma. The incidence was 3.2% which is approximately 1000 times more than in other malignant tumors.

Treatment of juxtapapillary melanomas.

Thirty nine patients suffering from juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma were treated with Ru-106/Rh-106 beta-ray plaques. The tumoricidal dose was 100 Gy at the apex of the tumour within 7-14 days. Additional photocoagulation was performed in 12 eyes.

Therapeutic outcome of patients suffering from malignant melanomas of the conjunctiva.

Eighty-one cases of conjunctival melanoma treated between 1960 and 1988 were studied to determine factors that might affect outcome in patients with such lesions. The therapeutic procedures performed were local excision (16), local excision followed by brachytherapy with Sr-90/Y-90 (32), local excision followed by cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen (16), brachytherapy with Sr-90/Y-90 (12), local excision followed by external beam irradiation (3), and local excision followed by brachytherapy and cryotherapy (2). The median follow-up period was 5.