Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation: a management dilemma

Longitudinal multimodal imaging of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation secondary to gallbladder adenocarcinoma

Purpose

To present the longitudinal, multimodal imaging of Bilateral Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation secondary to gallbladder carcinoma over a 17 month period, demonstrating the natural history, the evolution with treatment and salient features to support timely diagnosis of this condition with life-threatening associations.

Observations

A systemically well 73 year old woman presented with a 2 month history of progressive visual loss in the right eye. We report the initial findings on clinical examination and with retinal imaging including fluorescein and indocyanine angiography, optical coherence tomography and autoflourescence. An initial diagnosis of atypical central serous chorioretinopathy with secondary choroidal neovascularisation led to treatment with intravitreal aflibercept before the correct diagnosis of BDUMP was made 2 months later, aided by evolution of signs on imaging and examination. Subsequent investigation led to detection of gallbladder adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent systemic chemotherapy and eventual phacoemulsification and insertion of intraocular lens to both eyes. The patient died 21 months after presentation of visual symptoms, with latest imaging at 17 months.

Conclusion

We report the evolution of BDUMP utilising multi-modal imaging pre-treatment and during treatment with chemotherapy, and highlight peripheral progression of disease despite consolidation at the macula.

A Case of Bilateral Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation Followed by Massive Unilateral Uveal Proliferation

OBJECTIVE

To report a case of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP) followed by massive unilateral uveal proliferation.

METHODS

Retrospective case report.

RESULTS

A 47-year-old female with history of metastatic ovarian carcinoma initially presented with bilateral vision loss and multifocal red patches on posterior poles consistent with BDUMP. Five years later, she presented with bilateral neovascular glaucoma and unilateral iris and ciliary body mass concerning for malignancy. Enucleation revealed diffuse uveal growth involving almost the entirety of the uveal tract.

CONCLUSIONS

BDUMP can rarely be associated with uveal proliferation. Routine examinations are recommended to monitor for any changes concerning malignancy.

Diagnostic and therapeutic considerations in patients with bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation

PURPOSE

This review aims to summarize the current knowledge concerning the clinical features, diagnostic work-up, and therapeutic approach of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP).

METHODS

A meticulous literature search was performed in the PubMed database. A supplementary search was made in Google Scholar to complete the collected items. Our search strategy utilized the following keywords: "bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation", "BDUMP", and "Paraneoplastic Syndrome". Articles were considered based on their relevance, with the search spanning publications up to 2023. Studies were excluded if they did not contribute pertinent information or lacked methodological rigor. A critical appraisal of included studies was conducted, assessing study design, sample size, methodology, and potential bias, ensuring a thorough and transparent review process.

RESULTS

BDUMP is a rare and potentially sight-threatening condition characterized by the bilateral proliferation of melanocytes within the uvea. BDUMP is typically observed in middle-aged or elderly individuals and is often associated with an underlying malignancy, most commonly of gastrointestinal origin. BDUMP is frequently misdiagnosed as a benign nevus or choroidal metastasis, leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment. The ophthalmic symptoms and signs typically precede the diagnosis of a systemic malignancy, emphasizing the crucial role of ophthalmologists in the recognition of BDUMP. Several diagnostic modalities can aid in the diagnosis of BDUMP, including ophthalmic examination, imaging studies such as optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, and indocyanine green angiography, and biopsy of the uveal tissue. Treatment of BDUMP is directed towards the underlying malignancy and may include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgical resection. Additionally, strict monitoring with regular follow-ups may contribute to the detection of new lesions and the reduction in the size of existing ones.

CONCLUSIONS

BDUMP can be considered a potential biomarker in the management of malignancies, especially when the primary underlying tumor has not been detected. Further research is needed to better understand the pathogenesis of BDUMP and its association with malignancy.

Bilateral Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation Initially Presented as Glaucoma

PURPOSE

To report a bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP) patient whose initial presentation was glaucoma.

METHODS

Clinical review of a BDUMP case.

RESULTS

A 65-year-old woman presented with ocular pain of the left eye for 1 day and vision loss of the right eye for 1 week. An ophthalmological examination revealed increased intraocularr pressure in the left eye and shallow anterior chamber in both eyes. BDUMP was diagnosed following a series of auxiliary examinations. After 1.5 years of follow-up, progressive cataracts appeared, and the patient accepted cataract surgery in both eyes. Visual acuity improved from light perception to 20/100 in both eyes 1.5 years after cataract surgery, but declined to light perception again at the last follow-up.

CONCLUSION

BDUMP can be initially presented as glaucoma, and cataract surgery can be considered in BDUMP patients in order to improve the patients' quality of life, even if exudative retinal detachment exists.

Ocular Paraneoplastic Syndromes: A Critical Review of Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation and Autoimmune Retinopathy

Background: Dozens of paraneoplastic syndromes affect the visual system ranging from conjunctival pemphigoid to encephalopathy of the occipital cortex. The most profiled ocular syndromes are bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP) and the autoimmune retinopathies.Purpose: To review the critical features of these 2 entities then concentrate on advancements in treatment made within the last 10 years.Study Design: Literature review with structured data abstraction.Results: Major insights into pathogenesis have been wanting. Plasmapheresis appears to improve vision in a substantial proportion of patients with BDUMP. The number of clinical variables that influence visual outcome in paraneoplastic retinopathies combined with the variety of local and systemic treatment options makes interpretation of clinical effectiveness difficult.Conclusions: The rarity of these disorders makes randomized clinical trials unlikely. It may be time for a clinical professional organization to use a modified Delphi method to establish a consensus algorithm for the diagnosis and management of retinal paraneoplastic syndromes to augment clinical communications and clinical trials.

Bacillary Layer Detachment in Bilateral Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation Masquerading as Neovascular AMD

Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP) is a rare and unusual paraneoplastic ocular syndrome with generally poor prognosis. The authors present a case of BDUMP in a patient with bladder cancer, examined with current multimodal imaging. In the clinical setting with drusen and exudative macular detachments, the fundus simulated neovascular age-related macular degeneration, warranting standard-of-care therapy. The imaging actually showed the typical manifestations of BDUMP, but also newly recognized, associated manifestations, including the bacillary layer detachment, a gravitating retinal detachment, and multifocal choroidal hyperpermeability, but no evidence of neovascularization. Recognition of these associated manifestations is of value in appreciating the pathophysiology of this paraneoplastic disorder. Based on the imaging, the correct diagnosis was possible along with a better understanding of the nature of the clinical features in the posterior fundus. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51:413-417.].

Bilateral Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation Secondary to Rectal Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

Background: Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP) is a rare paraneoplastic intraocular syndrome that causes progressive visual loss in patients, and is associated with an underlying malignancy. Recently, the incidence of BDUMP has increased with the prolonged life expectancy of oncology patients.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 68-year-old man with significant visual loss in both eyes. The patient presented with a diffusely thickened choroid and ciliary body, extremely shallow anterior chamber, increased intraocular pressure, and cataract formation, accompanied by exudative retinal detachment in both eyes. He underwent a pars plana vitrectomy and choroidal biopsy, which revealed benign proliferation of melanocytes. A small amount of subretinal fluid persisted, and uveal thickness persisted in the early postoperative period. During the 1-year follow-up assessment, he underwent rectal tumor resection, and was pathologically diagnosed with rectal adenocarcinoma. Six months after the rectal tumor resection, the subretinal fluid was completely absorbed and the retina had reattached. The thickness of both the ciliary body and choroid had significantly decreased.

Conclusion: This case report describes a rare paraneoplastic intraocular syndrome, BDUMP, which was associated with rectal adenocarcinoma. Treatment for the primary malignancy gradually improved the visual symptoms and signs.

Case Report: Blurred Vision and Eruptive Nevi - Bilateral Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation With Mucocutaneous Involvement in a Lung Cancer Patient

We describe a case of a 65-year old patient presenting with unusual mucocutaneous melanocytic proliferations of a Bilateral Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation (BDUMP) imitating a multifocal melanoma in situ, which improved dramatically after plasmapheresis. The patient first presented at the dermatology department due to rapidly evolving brown and black macules on the glans penis. Further skin involvement of the perineal and perianal region, mamillae and oral mucosa was stated. Histology from a penile biopsy was compatible with a melanoma in situ. Due to the distribution pattern and elevated serum tumor marker S100B, metastatic melanoma was considered. Staging examinations using PET-CT scan however, revealed a lung tumor, later confirmed as a Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Primary radio chemotherapy was initiated to treat NSCLC. Shortly after initiation of radio chemotherapy the patient developed massive vision impairment and a NSCLC-associated BDUMP was diagnosed which led to the correct classification of melanocytic skin lesions as mucocutaneous BDUMP manifestation. Plasmapheresis was started resulting in a rapid improvement of vision starting ten days after the first plasmapheresis. In contrast skin manifestations started to disappear with a marked delay 4 months after the last plasmapheresis cycle. This case highlights the importance of memorizing multiple rapidly progressing melanocytic skin and/or mucous membrane spots together with visual impairment as a possible paraneoplastic BDUMP that needs a fundamentally different therapeutic approach compared to multifocal melanoma in situ. What is already known about this topic? Bilateral Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation (BDUMP) is a paraneoplastic syndrome with melanocytic uveal proliferation leading to vision impairment. Extraocular manifestation is rare, mainly affect the subepidermal compartment and is hard to treat. Plasmapheresis has been shown to be an effective treatment mainly for vision improvement in some but not all cases. What does this study add? Our BDUMP case with widespread skin and mucosal involvement initially mimicked a multifocal melanoma in situ and showed an excellent treatment response to plasmapheresis. Improvement of mucocutaneous lesions has not been documented well in the literature so far. We show a more than one year lasting follow up still underlining the beneficial effect of plasmapheresis in this case. In-vitro data supports the hypothesis that plasma exchange eliminates a "Cultured melanocyte elongation and proliferation (CMEP)" factor out of patient blood leading to decreased melanocyte proliferation shown numerically in-vitro and clinically in-vivo. Our case clearly indicates that before establishing a definite diagnosis and therapy in patients with rapidly evolving melanocytic skin and/or mucosal lesions BDUMP mimicking multifocal melanoma in situ should be considered making a thorough diagnostic workup mandatory.

Heterogeneity of cultured melanocyte elongation and proliferation factor in bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation

A patient with bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP) associated with endometrial cancer was treated with plasmapheresis, but failed therapy with progressive serous retinal detachment. We collected plasma before and after plasmapheresis therapy. Our goal was to determine if the cultured melanocyte elongation and proliferation (CMEP) factor and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was present in the IgG enriched fraction and understand why our patient failed plasmapheresis therapy. Melanocytes were cultured for 3-5 days in the presence of control medium, unfractionated pre-plasmapheresis BDUMP medium, IgG enriched or IgG depleted BDUMP medium, or unfractionated post-plasmapheresis BDUMP medium. Subretinal fluid was collected from patients with BDUMP and control retinal detachments and analyzed by electropheresis with immunoblotting. Medium with unfractionated BDUMP plasma stimulated melanocyte growth 1.4-1.5 fold compared to control medium on days 3-5 (p < 0.001 for all). Both IgG enriched and IgG depleted BDUMP medium mildly increased melanocyte growth 1.3 fold (p < 0.05 for enriched, p < 0.01 for depleted) compared to control. In comparison, unfractionated BDUMP medium caused a 1.7-fold increase in melanocyte growth, which was significantly more than the enriched (p < 0.01) and depleted (p < 0.05) fractions. Pre-plasmapheresis and post-plasmapheresis unfractionated BDUMP medium equally stimulated melanocyte growth 1.7-fold (p < 0.05) compared to control. HGF was present in IgG depleted, pre-plasmapheresis, and post-plasmapheresis samples, but absent in the IgG enriched fraction. There was no enrichment of IgG in the subretinal fluid from eyes with BDUMP. In conclusion, CMEP factor is not concentrated in the IgG enriched plasma fraction in our patient who failed plasmapheresis therapy. HGF levels have no correlation with melanocyte growth. Because plasmapheresis preferentially removes immunoglobulins from the plasma, our patient responded poorly to plasmapheresis treatment with worsening retinal detachment.

Diagnostic evaluation of optical coherence tomography angiography and fundus autofluorescence in bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation

Purpose

To demonstrate the utility of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in visualizing the choroidal vasculature in bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP), so as to elucidate pathophysiology and also aid in diagnosis. Additionally, to recommend autofluorescence (AF) over traditional angiography for purposes of noninvasive diagnosis.

Observations

Three BDUMP cases are examined using AF, and two are examined using OCTA. Additionally, the cases vary in etiology and include a case with iris cysts, which we believe to have only been recorded once before in scientific literature, steroids were successfully used to treat two cases and anti-tumor drugs were used to treat the third case. OCTA revealed altered choroidal vasculature in the two cases tested, and AF was successfully used to diagnose all three cases regardless of etiology.

Conclusions and importance

We believe the OCTA findings are potentially elucidative regarding the pathophysiology at the choroidal layer, where BDUMP lesions primarily exist. Given the limited number of recorded BDUMP cases and relatively unknown pathophysiology, OCTA may prove to be invaluable in visualizing disease progression. Also we were able to use AF to diagnose all three cases ranging from extremely rare iris cysts to a more conventional presentation, indicating its utility regardless of etiology.

Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation: Case report and literature review

Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP) is a rare paraneoplastic intraocular disease that causes progressive visual loss in patients driven by an IgG factor associated with an underlying malignancy. Characteristic ocular findings include exudative retinal detachment, rapid cataract formation and uveal melanocytic tumours. The awareness and documentation of BDUMP has increased during the past decade, and the increasing amount of data collected demonstrates the effect of treatment with plasmapheresis and the value of diagnostic tools in BDUMP such as genetic and immunologic investigations. The literature of BDUMP has not been reviewed since 2003, and there is a growing need for an updated review on diagnosis and management of BDUMP. We review the literature and report a case of BDUMP with a white ciliary body tumour, iris rubeosis, increased iris pigmentation and cataract.

Multimodal imaging of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation associated with an iris mass lesion

Background

Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP) is a rare, paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by bilateral painless visual loss and proliferation of choroidal melanocytes in association with an underlying systemic malignancy. We report a case of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation associated with an underlying gynecological malignancy that also features the infrequent finding of an iris mass lesion, using multimodal imaging including ultra-widefield imaging, spectral domain and swept-source optical coherence tomography.

Case presentation

A 59-year-old white female with a prior history of gynecological malignancy in remission presented with progressive bilateral visual loss over several weeks. The patient was noted to have a focal iris mass lesion in her right eye. Ultra-widefield color fundus photography showed a characteristic bilateral ‘giraffe pattern’ of pigmentary changes extending into the periphery as well as multiple discrete deeply pigmented lesions. Ultra-widefield autofluorescence was useful for visualizing the full extent of involvement. Indocyanine green angiography helped to demarcate the discrete pigmented choroidal lesions. Swept-source OCT clearly delineated the alternating zones of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) thickening and RPE loss, as well as the prominent choroidal infiltration and thickening.

Conclusions

BDUMP is an important diagnosis to consider in the presence of multiple discrete melanocytic choroidal lesions, diffuse choroidal thickening, characteristic RPE changes, iris mass lesions and exudative retinal detachment. Ultra-widefield imaging may demonstrate more extensive lesions than that detected on clinical examination or standard field imaging. Imaging with SS-OCT shows choroidal and RPE characteristics that correlate well with known histopathology of this entity.