Effect of the method of enucleation on the prognosis of choroidal melanoma

The prognosis following treatment of uveal melanomata depends not only on factors such as cell type and degree of mitotic activity, size and location of the tumour, and the age of the patient, but also on the method of enucleation, as surgical manipulation of the neoplasm may potentiate the shedding of malignant cells into the blood stream. One hundred and thirty-one patients treated by different methods of enucleation were reviewed and the mortality patterns assessed. The numbers of deaths over the first 5 years differed significantly between the different groups. A specific method of enucleation used for tumour-containing eyes is described and its importance emphasised.