Ciliary body melanoma

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Ciliary body melanoma is a type of cancer arising from the coloured part (uvea) of the eye.

About 12% of uveal melanoma arise from the ciliary body.

Clinical features[]

It occurs most commonly in the sixth decade of life.

• External signs include dilated blood vessels (sentinel vessels). Extraocular erosion may produce a dark mass beneath the conjunctiva.
• Pressure on the lens by the enlarging tumor can cause astigmatism, of the lens and formation of a localised lens opacity.
• The tumor can erode forward through the iris root and mimic an iris melanoma.
• Retinal detachment can be rarely caused by posterior extension of the tumor.
• Anterior uveitis is an uncommon presentation and occurs due to tumor necrosis.
• Cirumferentially growing tumors carry a bad prognosis as they are diagnosed late.
• At times the tumor is detected as an incidental finding during routine examination.

The tumour is usually diagnosed by clinical examination with a slit-lamp utilising a triple mirror contact lens. Ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) are also sometimes helpful in confirming the diagnosis.

Treatment[]

Enucleation (surgical removal of the eye) is the treatment of choice for large ciliary body melanomas. Small or medium sized tumors may be treated by an . Radiotherapy may be appropriate in selected cases.

See also[]

• Ocular oncology
• Uveal melanoma – melanoma of the eye

References[]

• Ciliary Body Melanoma - Springer
• Long-term survival in choroidal and ciliary body melanoma after enucleation versus plaque radiation therapy
• Microvascular Density in Predicting Survival of Patients with Choroidal and Ciliary Body Melanoma
• Long-term risk of local failure after proton therapy for choroidal/ciliary body melanoma
• Survival, anatomic, and functional long-term results in choroidal and ciliary body melanoma after ruthenium brachytherapy (15 years’ experience with beta-rays)
• Matched group study of surgical resection versus cobalt-60 plaque radiotherapy for primary... - Abstract - Europe PubMed Central