Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Author Spotlight: Anterior HR-OCT as a Non-Invasive Tool for Characterizing Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia
Published on: August 9, 2024
INTRAOCULAR SYNOVIAL SARCOMA
Nikisha Q Richards1, Julia K Kofler, Charleen T Chu
1*Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and †Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Purpose:
To describe the first reported case of intraocular synovial sarcoma.
Methods:
A 29-year-old man was enucleated for a blind, painful eye. Pathologic examination revealed an unexpected intraocular spindle cell tumor.
Results:
Immunohistochemical characterization revealed diffuse reactivity of the tumor cells for vimentin and focal positivity for epithelial markers pankeratin and epithelial membrane antigen. Melanoma markers were negative. Fluorescent in situ hybridization studies identified a t(X;18) (p11.2;q11.2) translocation, establishing a final diagnosis of synovial sarcoma. There was no evidence of extraocular extension as the resected margin of the optic nerve was free of tumor. Further imaging studies revealed no extraocular primary site or metastasis.
Conclusion:
The incidental discovery of an intraocular malignancy in this case underscores the importance of routine histopathologic analysis of all enucleated globes. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of an intraocular synovial sarcoma, either as metastasis or as primary site.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Glaucoma: Overview
Open Angle Glaucoma: Treatment
Drugs such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, α2- and...
Angle Closure Glaucoma: Treatment
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...

