Posterior uveal melanoma in young patients treated with proton beam therapy.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose was to study the clinical profile and prognosis of young patients with uveal melanoma treated by proton beam irradiation.


METHODS
A retrospective case-control series was studied. Seventeen patients aged <or=20 years with uveal melanoma and 51 risk factor-matched control subjects aged >20 years were treated for posterior uveal melanoma between 1975 and 2004. All patients were treated with proton beam irradiation at Harvard Cyclotron. Metastasis and survival of patients were the main outcome measures.


RESULTS
Of a total of 3,207 patients with uveal melanoma, 17 patients were <or=20 years of age at the time of diagnosis. No metastatic deaths were observed (median follow-up, 16 years). Among the control group, there were 7 of 50 metastasis-related deaths.


CONCLUSIONS
There was an excellent outcome regarding metastasis in a cohort of young patients with posterior uveal melanoma treated with proton beam irradiation.
Retina Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02131, USA. demetrios_vavvas@meei.harvard.edu
Demetrios
D
Vavvas
Ivana
I
Kim
Anne Marie
AM
Lane
Alan
A
Chaglassian
Shizuo
S
Mukai
Evangelos
E
Gragoudas
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011522:Protons; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014604:Uveal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D055815:Young Adult
D011522:Protons