[Irradiation of choroid melanoma: justifiable therapy or medical experiment]

An analysis of published results of irradiation of choroidal melanomas shows that only two reports contain justified statistics. All other statistics are based on insufficiently long follow-up periods, and do not cover all patients irradiated so that artifacts of selection occur which cannot be checked. Arguments are adduced which show that the authors of the two relevant reports mentioned rightly changed their previously positive attitude towards irradiation of these tumors. With the exception of three circumscribed categories of patients, irradiation of choroidal melanomas is still an unjustifiable medical experiment.