Late Solitary Extraocular Recurrence From Previously Resected Iris Melanoma

Genetic and Epigenetic Features of Uveal Melanoma-An Overview and Clinical Implications

Uveal melanoma (UM) is rare, but it is the most common primary intraocular malignancy among adults. This review represents the molecular, genetic, and immunobiological mechanisms involved in UM carcinogenesis and progression, as well as data about the association of chromosomal changes, genetic mutations, selective proteins, and biochemical biomarkers with the clinical implications of UM. Genetic analysis has the potential to identify patients with a high risk of UM metastasis, enabling management that is more effective and allowing for the follow-up of patients. Advancements in molecular characterization of UM offer opportunities to develop targeted therapeutic strategies by focusing on relevant signaling pathways. Changes in miRNA expression could be useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of UM, due to unique miRNA profiles in melanoma cells or tissue and its association with metastasis. Although liver function tests do not provide enough data on the prognosis of UM, due to the high frequency of liver metastasis, liver function tests (LFTs) might be useful indicators; however, the absence of rising LFT values cannot lead to the exclusion of liver metastases. Molecular analysis of tumor tissue will allow us to identify patients with the added benefit of new therapeutic agents and provide a better insight into melanoma pathogenesis and its biological behavior.

Partial lamellar sclerouvectomy surgery for anteriorly located uveal tumour resection: a 20-year experience

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the results of partial lamellar sclerouvectomy (PLSU) for anteriorly located uveal tumours.

METHODS

We reviewed the tumour features, histopathologic findings, complications, visual acuity outcomes, eye preservation, metastasis, and mortality data of 56 cases with uveal tumours who underwent PLSU between February 1999 and February 2019.

RESULTS

The mean largest tumour base diameters were 5.8 × 3.4 mm and the mean tumour thickness was 3.3 mm. Histopathologically, 30 (53.6%) eyes had malignant melanoma, 13 (23.2%) had nevus, 5 (8.9%) had iris stromal cyst, 4 (7.1%) had melanocytoma, 2 (3.6%) had Fuchs' adenoma, 1 (1.8%) had iris pigment epithelial cyst, and 1 (1.8%) had invasive breast cancer metastasis. The most common postoperative complications included cataract in 21 (37.5%) eyes, vitreous haemorrhage in 15 (26.8%), scleral thinning in 10 (17.9%), and hyphema in 6 (10.7%). At a mean follow-up of 40.4 (range: 10-201) months, tumour recurrence was observed in 2/30 (6.7%) eyes with melanoma and 1/5 (20.0%) eye with iris stromal cyst. Eyes with recurrent melanoma were treated with enucleation. Liver metastasis developed in only 1 (3.3%) melanoma case. All patients were alive at the end of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

PLSU is a successful treatment method for many anteriorly located uveal tumours. In our series, the overall tumour recurrence and globe salvage rates were 5.4% and 96.4% respectively. Among melanoma cases, the metastasis rate was 3.3% and survival rate was 100%.

Genetics of Ocular Melanoma: Insights into Genetics, Inheritance and Testing

Ocular melanoma consists of posterior uveal melanoma, iris melanoma and conjunctival melanoma. These malignancies derive from melanocytes in the uveal tract or conjunctiva. The genetic profiles of these different entities differ from each other. In uveal melanoma, GNAQ and GNA11 gene mutations are frequently found and prognosis is based on mutation status of BAP1, SF3B1 and EIF1AX genes. Iris melanoma, also originating from the uvea, has similarities to the genetic makeups of both posterior uveal melanoma (UM) and conjunctival melanoma since mutations in GNAQ and GNA11 are less common and genes involved in conjunctival melanoma such as BRAF have been described. The genetic spectrum of conjunctival melanoma, however, includes frequent mutations in the BRAF, NRAS and TERT promoter genes, which are found in cutaneous melanoma as well. The BRAF status of the tumor is not correlated to prognosis, whereas the TERT promoter gene mutations are. Clinical presentation, histopathological characteristics and copy number alterations are associated with survival in ocular melanoma. Tissue material is needed to classify ocular melanoma in the different subgroups, which creates a need for the use of noninvasive techniques to prognosticate patients who underwent eye preserving treatment.

Orbital recurrence of iris melanoma 21 years after enucleation

We present the case of a 56-year-old man who developed a neoplasm of epithelioid histology in his anophthalmic left orbit 21 years after he underwent enucleation for a spindle cell iris melanoma. The recurrent tumour was managed by orbital exenteration. Neither further recurrence nor metastasis was diagnosed over a 5-year follow-up period. This case, along with five other similar cases in the literature,^1-3 emphasises the importance of long-term follow-up after treatment of iris melanoma.