Study of aggressive carcinomas through orbital metastasis

Two clinical cases of orbital metastasis are presented. The first is a 63 year-old male with a recent loss of visual acuity associated with binocular diplopia. Neuroimaging tests revealed a tumour of aggressive features with intraconal extension and bone invasion. The systemic study led to the diagnosis of stage IV small cell bronchogenic carcinoma. The second case is a 69 year-old woman with breast cancer in early stages that showed alterations in ocular motility and proptosis. Computed tomography showed tumour infiltration of extraocular musculature. The anatomo-pathological study confirmed the diagnosis of orbital metastasis. Orbital metastatic disease is a relatively infrequent entity with varied clinical presentation and an unfavourable prognosis. It constitutes a diagnostic challenge that should be suspected in patients with risk factors for tumour disease and imaging techniques used to define the extent and severity of the condition.