Title | Conjunctival melanoma: Risk factors for recurrence, exenteration, and metastasis in 27 patients |
Abstract Nr. | A1050 |
Purpose | To evaluate the clinical risk factors of conjunctival malignat melanoma (MM) that predict local tumor recurrence and metastasis. |
Methods | The clinical parameters of the patient, tumor and treatment modalities were recorded and analyzed in a nonrandomized fashion for their relation to the two main outcome measures using Kaplan-Meier model. |
Results | Twenty-seven patients with a mean age of 63 years old were managed in our institution for histopathologically proven conjunctival MM since October 1997. Sixteen patients (59%) underwent prior conjunctival surgery elsewhere. Fifteen of those surgeries (94%) were done without combined cryotherapy. During a mean follow-up of 41 months, 7 cases of local tumor recurrence (26%) were documented, 4 patients (15%) underwent exenteration, and 4 patients (15%) developed metastasis. According to Kaplan-Meier analysis MM recurrence is not influenced by the patient age, by the clinical appearance of the tumor and by the preexisting lesion. The crude patient’s survival is mainly statistically correlated to the patient’s age and to the clinical appearance of the tumor, the infiltrative pattern having a better prognosis than the nodular one. |
Conclusion | Conjunctival MM carries a non-negligible risk for local tumor recurrence and metastasis. |
Last name | IORDANIDOU |
Initials | V |
Department | Ocular Oncology Unit, UCL |
City | Brussels |
Last name | DE POTTER |
Initials | P |
Department | Ocular Oncology Unit, UCL |
City | Brussels |
Last name | JAMART |
Initials | J |
Department | Biostatistics and Medical Documentation, Cliniques Universitaires de Mont Godinne |
City | Yvoir |