Ocular adnexal lymphomas: a review

Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy for Advanced Malignant Conjunctival Tumors: Systematic Review

PURPOSE

To review the outcomes of targeted therapy and immunotherapy in advanced conjunctival tumors, including conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma, conjunctival melanoma, and conjunctival lymphoma.

METHODS

A Pubmed database systematic search was performed between January 1999 and December 2022. The literature search was limited to studies published in English.

RESULTS

This review included 142 patients with advanced malignant conjunctival tumors from 42 articles. In the conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma group, 2 cases of advanced conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma treated with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors showed significant tumor size improvement after 7.5 months of follow-up. Among 7 cases treated with systemic immunotherapy, 5 cases (72%) had complete response (CR), 1 case (14%) showed partial response (PR), and 1 case (14%) had stable disease (SD) after 16 months. In the conjunctival melanoma group, among 18 cases treated with combined v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1/mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitors, 6 (33%) had CR, 5 (28%) had PR, 2 (11%) had SD, and 5 (28%) had progressive disease after 24.8 months of follow-up. Of 44 conjunctival melanoma cases treated with immunotherapy, 12 (28%) had CR, 9 (20%) had PR, 7(16%) had SD, and 16 (36%) had progressive disease after 14.2 months. Systemic Rituximab treatment for conjunctival lymphoma cases resulted in CR in 21 patients (63%), PR in 11 patients (33%), and SD in 1 patient (3%) after 20.5 months of follow-up. Intralesional Rituximab injections in 38 conjunctival lymphoma cases showed CR in 28 patients (75%), PR in 7 patients (19%), SD in 1 patient (2%), and progressive disease in 2 patients (4%) after 20.4 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite limited clinical case reports and short-term follow-ups, targeted therapy and immunotherapy have shown promising results for advanced malignant conjunctival tumors.

Clinic-pathological agreement in the diagnosis of conjunctival tumours: Analysis of 195 cases

PURPOSE

The present study aims to assess the agreement between clinical and pathological diagnosis in conjunctival tumours in a specialist ocular oncology unit.

METHODS

retrospective study of consecutive patients with conjunctival tumours diagnosed at the Ocular Oncology Unit of the University Hospital of Valladolid was performed from 1992 to 2017. Tumours were classified according to their origin (epithelial, melanocytic, lymphoid and others) and degree of malignancy (benign, premalignant, malignant). A biopsy was performed in cases of symptomatic or growing lesions. Cohen´s kappa (κ) statistics was used as an indicator of agreement between clinical and pathological diagnosis.

RESULTS

Of 462 consecutive patients, a biopsy was required in 195 (42.2%). The agreement with the pathological diagnosis was successful in 154 (79.0%) cases. Analysis according to the grade of malignancy showed the lowest rate of agreement among benign (n = 83; 91.6%) and premalignant (n = 62; 90.3%) lesions, with a total agreement in malignant lesions (n = 50; 100%); the Cohen´s kappa coefficient (κ) was 0.90. The highest rates of concordance were found in epithelial, melanocytic and soft tissue lesions with κ values of 1, 0.8 and 1 respectively. The worst rate of concordance was found in lymphoid lesions with a κ value of 0.3.

CONCLUSION

Most of the conjunctival tumours were correctly identified clinically; benign and malignant lesions showed the highest rate of accuracy; however, premalignant tumours can hide micro-invasive diseases that can go unnoticed on clinical examination. The biopsy is essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Augenbefall und Systemerkrankung – periokuläre und intraokuläre Lymphome

Hintergrund

Das okuläre Lymphom wird anhand seiner anatomischen Lokalisation in die intraokulären und periokulären Lymphome eingeteilt. Intraokulär kann die Uvea mit ihren Strukturen betroffen sein oder die Retina in Verbindung mit dem Glaskörper. Die periokulären Lymphome treten in Orbita, Bindehaut, Tränenapparat oder Lid auf. Von großer Bedeutung ist die Unterscheidung zwischen primären Lymphomen der Region oder systemischem Befall. Über die letzten Jahrzehnte konnte in den westlichen Ländern eine konstant steigende Inzidenz okulärer Lymphome nachgewiesen werden.

Ziel

Dieser Beitrag soll einen Überblick über die vielfältigen Manifestationen, Diagnostik, Therapie sowie Prognose und Nachsorge geben.

Material und Methoden

Der Beitrag basiert auf einer selektiven Literaturrecherche über die MEDLINE-Datenbank zum Thema okuläre Lymphome sowie den persönlichen Erfahrungen der Autoren.

Ergebnisse

Je nach Lokalisation können die Symptome sehr unterschiedlich sein. Die Diagnose erfolgt über eine Probebiopsie und anschließende zytologische/histologische und ggf. molekularpathologische Untersuchung. Strahlentherapeutische sowie systemische Verfahren stellen die am häufigsten angewendeten Therapieverfahren dar. Die Prognose hängt sehr stark von der Lokalisation, dem Subtyp des Lymphoms sowie dem Ausmaß des Tumorbefalls ab.

Diskussion

Das okuläre Lymphom berührt in Diagnostik, Therapie und Nachsorge die Schnittstellen zwischen Ophthalmologie, (Hämato‑)Onkologie, Strahlentherapie, Neurologie, Neurochirurgie, Mund-Kiefer-Gesichts-Chirurgie, Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Dermatologie, Radiologie, Pathologie und Psychoonkologie. Dabei spielt der Augenarzt als Eingangsarzt bei dieser Systemerkrankung eine wesentliche Rolle.

Classification, diagnosis, and management of conjunctival lymphoma

Lymphoma is a malignant lymphoproliferative tumor that can involve the conjunctiva. Approximately 5-15% of all extranodal lymphomas are found in the ocular adnexal region, with approximately 25% of those involving the conjunctiva. Ninety-eight percent of conjunctival lymphomas arise from B-lymphocytes. The most common subtype of conjunctival lymphoma is extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (80%), followed by follicular lymphoma (8%), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (3%) and mantle cell lymphoma (3%). Natural killer and T cells (NK/T) are rare causes of lymphoma. While most conjunctival lymphomas are localized to the ocular adnexa at the time of presentation, systemic examination and management are of key importance in the long-term care of the patient. This review outlines the classification, etiology, presentation, diagnosis, and management of conjunctival lymphoma. The novel use of high resolution optical coherence tomography, both as a diagnostic tool and as a means for ongoing evaluation during treatment, is illustrated. Treatment options discussed include external beam radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, antibiotic therapy, and combination regimens. Future investigation of the etiology and pathogenesis of conjunctival lymphoma is expected to reveal opportunities for innovative and individualized therapeutic agents. Collaboration between multiple disciplines is key in the advancement of the field.