[Neoplasm metastasis to the eye--diagnosis and therapy]

The increasing occurrence of neoplastic metastases to the eye encouraged us to present our own observation on this topic.

We have examined 17 patients with metastatic tumors of the eye (in 6 cases there was bilateral involvement). The group included 11 females and 6 males, aged 43 to 69 years. The most common primary tumor was breast carcinoma (9 women-13 eyes); then cancers of lung (4 men), gastrointestinal tract (2 women-3 eyes), maxillary sinus (1 case); and malignant lymphoma (1 case). In 5 patients the eye was enucleated because of secondary glaucoma.

Improvement or stopping the progression of the disease was achieved in 1 of 2 patients treated with argon laser, 3 of 6 patients treated with xenon lamp photocoagulation, and in all 8 eyes treated with gamma-therapy. In one case of metastatic tumor of the iris a partial iridectomy was performed. A case of systemic malignant lymphoma was treated pharmacologically.

It seems that the best option of treatment of eye metastases is gamma-therapy, particularly effective in small lesions. Authors emphasize that it is necessary to perform routine ophthalmologic examinations in patients with breast cancer, lung cancer, and other neoplasms associated with high risk of metastases to the eye. This can allow to early detect eye metastases and start the appropriate treatment.