Epidemiology and survival outcomes of patients with primary intraocular lymphoma: a population-based analysis

Primary ophthalmic natural killer/T-cell lymphoma: A population-based study

BACKGROUND

Ophthalmic lymphomas, a subgroup of extra-nodal lymphomas, have seen an increase in incidence in recent decades. Of these, the NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) subtype is particularly aggressive. Though prevalent mostly in Asian patients, data on ophthalmic NKTL is still limited, especially in the western population. This study aimed to provide an additional analysis of primary ophthalmic NKTL using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on the SEER database covering records from 2000 to 2020. Patients diagnosed with extranodal NKTL originating primarily from an ophthalmic structure were identified.

RESULTS

Out of 4540 ophthalmic lymphomas registered in the SEER database between 2000 and 2020, 9 cases (0.2%) corresponded to ophthalmic NKTL, occurring in patients with a median age of 67 years. The majority of these patients underwent chemotherapy (88.8%) and radiotherapy (66.6%). The 6-month overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were both at 50.8%, dropping significantly at the 2-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Primary orbital NKTL has a notably severe prognosis. An early diagnosis is important due to the aggressive nature of NKTL.

[Isolated primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (case report)]

This case report presents the diagnostic features of isolated primary intraocular lymphoma, which was initially misdiagnosed as neovascular age-related macular degeneration. A comprehensive examination using ultrasound, optical coherence tomography, and fundus autofluorescence revealed changes characteristic of vitreoretinal lymphoma. Molecular genetic analysis of the vitreous body showed the presence of a MYD88 gene mutation and B-cell clonality by immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) gene rearrangement tests, which confirmed the diagnosis.