Background: We report the results over 3 years with stereotactic radiosurgery using the Gamma Knife for large and unsuitably located uveal melanomas.
Patients and methods: A total of 100 patients (51 male, 49 female) have been treated since 1997 following a standardised treatment protocol (outpatient single-shot treatment, maximum dose 50 Gy, tumour margin dose min.25 Gy, retrobulbar anaesthesia alone for globe fixation). The localisation and/or dimension of the tumours did not allow radiation brachytherapy with Ru106 plaques. Of the tumours 18 were located in the ciliary body, 61 were located at the posterior pole, and 21 were located in the mid-periphery. All patients were followed and tested ophthalmologically and neuroradiologically at regular intervals. The 1-year follow-up data were available for 73 patients, 2-year follow-up data for 33 patients and 3-year follow-up-data for 17 patients.
Results: Before therapy the maximum apical tumour height (MAH) was median 7.8 mm (95% CI 2.9-12.5 mm): 1 year after treatment (73 patients) the MAH was median 5.7 mm (95% KI 2.4-10.2 mm),2 years after treatment (33 patients) the MAH was median 4.3 mm (95% KI 2.2-8.8 mm),and 3 years after treatment (17 patients) the MAH was median 4.6 mm (95% KI 2.4-8.5 mm). All differences to the MAH of the corresponding patients before treatment were statistically significant (paired t-test). Within the first year after treatment seven patients were enucleated due to a painful secondary glaucoma,within the second year after radiation two patients (one tumour recurrence, and one secondary glaucoma) and within the third year one more patient (tumour recurrence) was enucleated.
Conclusions: Our 3-year results demonstrate that radiosurgery using the Gamma Knife is beneficial in achieving a local tumour control in 98% of eyes with large and unsuitably located uveal melanomas. The risk for a secondary enucleation is highest in the first year after treatment with a favourable overall rate of 10%. Due to the excellent local tumour control rate we decreased the maximum dose to 40 Gy (min.tumour margin dose 20 Gy) in the subsequently treated patients.