Ciliary body melanoma treatment by stereotactic radiosurgery

Malignant melanoma of the ciliary body (corpus ciliare) represents 10 to 15 percent of tumors of the uveal tract. The aim of the work is to evaluate the effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery performed on LINAC linear accelerator and the occurrence of postoperative complications.

Retrospective analysis of patients with ciliary body melanoma treated with stereotactic radiosurgery on linear accelerator in the period 1/2011 to 12/2016 in Slovakia.

From 1/2011 to 12/2016 a group of 27 patients with melanoma of the ciliary body underwent one day session stereotactic radiosurgery irradiation on linear accelerator (SRCH). Primary enucleation was indicated in 10 (37 %) patients. A group of 17 (63 %) patients were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery. In a group of 17 patients indicated for SRCH, 7 (41 %) were diagnosed in T1 stage, 8 (47 %) in T2 stage. In 2 (12 %) patients who refused primary enucleation, palliative irradiation was indicated in T3 stage, and later metastases appeared in liver and systemic chemotherapy was indicated. The therapeutic dose in all patients was TD 35 Gy, TD max 42 Gy. The mean age of patients at the time of irradiation was 60.8, the youngest patient was 40 and the oldest was 80 years old. The follow-up period was 12 months to 5 years.

Currently, in Slovakia, the only irradiation possibility to treat ciliary body melanoma is stereotactic radiosurgery. In our group of 17 patients, this method appears to be effective in the treatment of T1 to T2 stage. The results are comparable to brachytherapy and proton beam irradiation therapy. Key words: corpus ciliare, uveal melanoma, linear accelerator, stereotactic radiosurgery.