[Clinical course of a choroidal melanoma observed for over 30 years]

A newly developed choroidal tumor was observed by an ophthalmologist in 1946. Clinically, it was obviously a malignant melanoma and showed signs of growth. The patient, a 57 year-old woman, refused enucleation because her vision was good. She was examined at intervals by her ophthalmologist. Ten years later the tumor had attained a prominence of 18 D and shortly afterwards the patient developed visual disturbances. Another 11 years later vitreous opacities occurred. After a further 5 years the patient presented with glaucoma which led to chronic corneal edema. The eye was finally enucleated in 1977. Now, four years later, the patient is still well and without any sign of metastases. Histopathologic examination revealed a melanoma of spindle-cell type A, measuring 16 X 16 X 16 mm. The tumor had infiltrated the proximal optic fascicle and the overlying retina. As most prognostic data are based on histopathologic findings it seems essential for the future to find out more about the untreated melanomas (growth rate, vascularization, secondary changes such as perifocal inflammatory reactions, lesions of the retinal pigment epithelium barrier, retinal detachment, cyclitis and glaucoma).