Radioactive plaque therapy for metastatic choroidal carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the outcome of radioactive episcleral plaque therapy for treatment of metastatic carcinoma to the choroid.


METHODS
Retrospective, noncomparative case series.


METHODS
Five patients (six eyes) with carcinoma metastatic to the choroid.


METHODS
Retrospective review of the clinical records of five patients (six eyes) who underwent radioactive episcleral plaque therapy for choroidal metastases.


METHODS
Tumor height, visual acuity, radiation optic neuropathy, and radiation retinopathy.


RESULTS
Radioactive episcleral plaque therapy resulted in shrinkage of the treated tumors and resolution of subretinal fluid in all eyes. After plaque treatment, best-corrected visual acuity was maintained within two lines of initial visual acuity for two eyes, decreased more than two lines for one eye, and improved more than two lines in three eyes. The treatment was well tolerated and there was no acute toxicity. Late complications included optic nerve atrophy (at 2 years) with proliferative radiation retinopathy (at 3 years) in one eye and optic atrophy (at 6 months) in another eye that had received prior external beam therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
In carefully selected cases, radioactive episcleral plaque therapy appears to be an effective and reasonable treatment for carcinoma metastatic to the choroid.
Lim
J I
JI
The Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Petrovich
Z
Z
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007496:Iridium Radioisotopes / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009896:Optic Atrophy / Q000209:etiology; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000528:radiation effects; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D012160:Retina / Q000528:radiation effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D007496:Iridium Radioisotopes