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Updated: Feb 24, 2026
Corneal Donor Tissue Preparation for Endothelial Keratoplasty
Published on: June 12, 2012
Donor-Derived Conjunctival-Limbal Melanoma After a Keratolimbal Allograft
Lorena Sepsakos1, Albert Y Cheung, Jeffrey A Nerad
1*Cincinnati Eye Institute, Cincinnati, OH; †Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH; and ‡Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
Purpose:
To report a single case of donor-derived conjunctival-limbal melanoma that occurred after a keratolimbal allograft (KLAL).
Methods:
Case report and literature review.
Results:
A 56-year-old white woman with a history of bilateral limbal stem cell deficiency developed a donor-related melanoma after a KLAL. Three months after undergoing an uncomplicated KLAL, the patient presented with hemorrhagic nodules within her conjunctiva and transplanted tissue. Excisional biopsy was performed, and the pathology results revealed melanoma cells. Although the donor of the KLAL had a history of metastatic melanoma, the ocular tissue was in compliance with all eye bank requirements for donation. After discovery of the tumor, the patient's systemic immunosuppression was stopped. Within 1 week, the patient demonstrated a dramatic improvement in the size of the lesion. One month after the initial biopsy, the KLAL tissue was excised, and a pathology report revealed that there were no viable tumor cells on the ocular surface. As the limbal stem cell deficiency recurred, the eye underwent placement of a Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis.
Conclusions:
We present a case of conjunctival-limbal melanoma after a KLAL from a donor who had a history of metastatic melanoma. In response to this case, the US eye banking guidelines were amended to include stricter parameters for vascularized ocular tissue transplantation.
