title: Long-term results of proton beam irradiated uveal melanomas.
abstract: The first 128 consecutive patients with uveal melanomas treated with proton beam irradiation were studied in order to evaluate survival and visual acuity status of patients with relatively long-term follow-up. The median follow-up was 5.4 years, and no patient was lost to follow-up. All tumors showed regression. The most recent visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 35% and 20/100 or better in 58%. Eight eyes were enucleated because of complications. Metastasis developed in 26 patients (20.5%) from 3 months to 7 years after treatment. Results indicate that proton irradiation is quite successful for achieving local control of uveal melanomas. A large proportion of the treated eyes maintained useful vision. Five-year follow-up data indicate that proton irradiation has no deleterious effect on the likelihood of the development of metastasis.
mesh_terms: D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007499:Iris Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000098:blood supply / Q000528:radiation effects; D008545:Melanoma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011522:Protons; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D014604:Uveal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D011522:Protons