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This abstract is assigned to session BOG-SBO 3 Voorste oogsegment / Segment antérieur

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.

Author 1

Last name	IORDANIDOU
Initials	V
Department	Ocular Oncology Unit, UCL
City	Brussels

Author 2

Last name	DE POTTER
Initials	P
Department	Ocular Oncology Unit, UCL
City	Brussels

Author 3

Last name	JAMART
Initials	J
Department	Biostatistics and Medical Documentation, Cliniques Universitaires de Mont Godinne
City	Yvoir