Cutaneous malignant melanoma in survivors of heritable retinoblastoma
E. I. Traboulsi, L. E. Zimmerman and H. J. Manz
Department of Ophthalmology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007.
Six survivors of bilateral retinoblastoma developed cutaneous malignant
melanoma 20 to 51 years (average, 31 years) after initial therapy for the
ocular tumor. Five patients received radiation therapy to the orbital area.
In two patients the cutaneous malignant melanoma developed in the field of
irradiation. Two patients developed multiple cutaneous melanomas and are
thought to have the dysplastic nevus syndrome. At this writing two patients
are alive and well after wide resection of their skin tumors. A review of
the literature suggests that cutaneous malignant melanoma accounts for
about 7% of second malignant neoplasms in survivors of heritable
retinoblastoma.
