Primary uveal lymphoma effectively managed with oral chlorambucil: a case report

Ocular lymphomas account for five to 10 percent of all extra-nodal lymphomas. Primary uveal lymphoma is quite a rare entity and usually unilateral. We present a case of a primary uveal lymphoma with conjunctival and orbital extension, successfully managed with oral chlorambucil.

A 71-year-old Caucasian man presented to our facility with visual loss in his only functioning eye (left). On clinical examination, we found a conjunctival lesion with a choroidal infiltration and a secondary retinal detachment. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging studies revealed a choroidal tumour mass and two other lesions around the optic nerve. Results from an incisional biopsy revealed a low-grade B-cell lymphoma (CD20+, CD43+, bcl2+, CD3-). A diagnosis of primary uveal lymphoma was made. Our patient was started on a chemotherapy regime with no effect, and then oral chlorambucil was administered, with a relatively good result. At 10 months after the start of chlorambucil treatment, a best-corrected visual acuity of 0.4 was recorded, the choroidal mass had practically disappeared and the extra-ocular lesions had shrunk.

In all, 61 to 80 cases of primary uveal lymphoma have already been described in the literature. Generally, it is an indolent tumor with a good prognosis. However, there are some reports of aggressive tumor behavior a few years after initial diagnosis (about eight percent of cases). Other treatment options are orbital irradiation at low doses (20 to 40 Gy) or steroid administration. This is the first documented report of the efficacy of oral chlorambucil in the treatment of primary uveal lymphoma.