Diagnosis and management of cancer metastatic to the uvea: a study of 70 cases.

Although metastatic cancer to the uvea is reported to be the most common intraocular malignancy, most ophthalmologists have had little experience with its diagnosis and treatment. This report describes our experience with the diagnosis and management of 70 patients with metastatic cancer to the uvea. Many patients were evaluated with modern diagnostic modalities such as fluorescein angiography, ultrasonography, and the 32P test when indicated. Thirty-one percent of patients had no history of previous malignancy, and the ocular complaints represented the first symptoms of systemic cancer. The ocular malignancy often simulated better-known ophthalmic entities, and the referring diagnosis was correct in only 38% of cases. This series, therefore, reflects the clinical problem confronting the practicing ophthalmologist. About one-half of the patients were treated with external beam irradiation to the involved eye(s), which often resulted in dramatic resolution of the tumor and visual return. Other patients had either no treatment, chemotherapy, or enucleation in selected instances.