beta-Irradiation of choroidal melanoma with 106Ru/106Rh applicators. 16 Years' experience

From 1964 to 1980, 205 patients with choroidal melanoma were treated with 106Ru/106Rh beta-ray applicators (8,000 to 10,000 rad at the summit of the tumor within 14 days). In 132 (64.4%) cases, this treatment was successful. Thirty-six (17.6%) had to be enucleated after irradiation and 37 died, 21 of them of metastases. Of the 132 successfully treated patients, 60 (45.5%) had flat scars and 34 (25.8%) retained a visual acuity of 0.5 to 1.5. Radiogenic late complications with damage to the retinal capillary system were the main causes of visual deterioration, especially in eyes with tumors close to the posterior pole. The survival rate of 85.1% after five years is substantially higher than that for patients who were primarily treated with enucleation.