Five-year follow-up of helium ion therapy for uveal melanoma
D. H. Char, J. R. Castro, S. M. Kroll, A. R. Irvine, J. M. Quivey and R. D. Stone
Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
One hundred sixty-four patients with uveal melanoma were treated with
helium ion irradiation prior to May 1984, and the data were analyzed in
June 1989. Most uveal melanomas were large, with a mean tumor thickness of
6.5 mm; approximately 60% of the patients had tumors that extended anterior
to the equator. A complete follow-up was obtained for all patients. One
hundred twelve patients were alive at the time of this report; 18% of the
patients developed clinical and laboratory evidence of metastases and
eventually died of widespread tumor. Eighty-four percent of eyes were
retained. Data were analyzed with a number of parametric and nonparametric
techniques. Larger tumors and those located in close proximity to the optic
nerve and fovea had a higher incidence of most complications, especially
visual loss.
