Cole Eye Institute Outcomes
Ocular Oncology Surgery
Uveal Melanoma
The mean incidence of uveal melanoma in the U.S. is 5.1 per million, with most cases (97.8%) occurring in the white population. Increasingly, uveal melanoma patients are being treated by radiation.
Several outcome measures can be considered when assessing treatment benefits of plaque radiation therapy for uveal melanoma. These include tumor specific mortality, local tumor control, globe salvage rate, and vision preservation. The recurrence rates following brachytherapy with plaque radiation therapy range from 10% to 15% in published studies in the U.S. Because the outcomes of interest are likely to occur after the first year following primary therapy, Cole Eye Institute recently conducted a comprehensive 10-year outcomes study,¹ which showed that recurrence was uncommon, with a 5-year estimated recurrence rate of 6.6%.
Plaque Brachytherapy and Enucleation: 10-Year Trend
2014 – 2023
A spike in the enucleation rate compared with plaque brachytherapy of almost 40% during 2022 is notable for the increase over the usual 20% to 30% fluctuation during the rest of the 10-year period. A pandemic-related delay in presentation is the most likely cause of the increased rate of enucleation.
Medium-sized choroidal melanoma located in the nasal quadrant of the left eye, which was treated with Iodine-125 episcleral plaque brachytherapy.
Note tumor regression and mild chorioretinal atrophy along the margins of the tumor. Note absence of radiation retinopathy and optic neuropathy.
