Conservative resection and adjuvant plaque brachytherapy for early-stage conjunctival melanoma

To describe the outcome of patients treated by conservative surgical excision followed by adjuvant plaque brachytherapy for early-stage primary or recurrent conjunctival melanoma.

Retrospective, non-comparative, interventional case series.

We reviewed 19 eyes in 19 consecutive patients presenting with biopsy proven conjunctival melanoma with pathologic stage pT1c or less.

Patients with primary or recurrent early-stage conjunctival melanoma were identified and treated using a conservative resection technique (tractional micro-dissection) involving avoidance of deep dissection and modest lateral clearance followed by adjuvant plaque brachytherapy.

Local recurrence and ocular complications.

Mean age was 55.2 years and male : female (8:11). Mean follow up was 43.1 months (range 30.1-54.3 months). All patients were treated by conservative resection followed by adjuvant Iodine-125 plaque brachytherapy. The treatment dose was 100 Gy to a depth of 1.5-3.0 mm.

median visual acuity and intraocular pressure were unchanged after surgery. Six patients experienced corneal ulceration in the immediate postoperative period. No patients experienced recurrence at the treatment site or metastases. Three patients experienced new lesions distant from the treatment site.

Conservative resection and adjuvant plaque brachytherapy is an effective and well-tolerated modality for the management of patients with early-stage conjunctival melanoma.