Choroidal melanoma and pregnancy.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Oncology
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Choroidal melanoma is a rare adult tumor, typically diagnosed around age 60.
• It can affect women of childbearing age, raising questions about pregnancy's impact on prognosis.
• The effect of pregnancy on choroidal melanoma survival has not been definitively established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of pregnancy on the prognosis of choroidal melanoma in women of childbearing age.
• To assess survival rates and metastasis-free survival in pregnant versus non-pregnant patients.
• To determine the safety and efficacy of treatments, such as proton beam therapy, during pregnancy.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, single-center study was conducted at Institut Curie.
• The study included women of childbearing age diagnosed with choroidal melanoma between 1980 and 2013.
• Prognosis was analyzed for patients pregnant at diagnosis and those who became pregnant post-treatment.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in overall survival or metastasis-free survival was observed between pregnant and non-pregnant patients.
• Most pregnancies (67%) were carried to term; abortions were rare (7%).
• Conservative treatment was favored in 85% of pregnant patients, with proton beam therapy being the most common modality.

Conclusions:

• Pregnancy does not appear to negatively influence the survival of women with choroidal melanoma.
• Proton beam therapy is a suitable treatment option for pregnant women diagnosed with choroidal melanoma.
• The findings support conservative management and established treatments for pregnant patients with this condition.