Ciliochoroidal melanomas treated with a narrow medical proton beam
A. F. Brovkina and G. D. Zarubei
We treated 63 patients with intraocular melanomas by means of a narrow
medical proton beam. Tumors were irradiated with 2,500 rad at each of four
to five sessions, with an interval of one to two days between sessions. The
melanomas ranged in diameter from 8 to 20 mm and were from 3.0 to 13.7 mm
in thickness. Patients were followed up for three months to seven years. In
11 cases, the tumor was fully resorbed. Complications included radiation
cataract, postradiation glaucoma, radiation retinopathy, and exudative
retinal detachment. In 12 cases, enucleation was performed because tumor
growth persisted. Four patients died during follow-up period because of
metastasis. The eye was preserved in 47 cases.
