View abstract

This abstract is assigned to session SBO-BOG Free papers: Miscellaneous

Title	Treatment of conjunctival melanoma
Abstract Nr.	149

Purpose	To describe the diagnosis, treatment and outcome of 200 conjunctival melanomas treated between 1950 and 2005 retrospectively.
Methods	Retrospective descriptive study.
Results	The origin of the conjunctival melanoma was nevus (12), primary acquired melanosis (PAM) (113), de novo (52), or not known (23). Out of 200 patients, 114 had a local recurrence, during the median follow-up of 7.1 years (range 1.5-50.5 years). Non-epibulbar localisation was the most important risk factor for local recurrence and survival. Significantly fewer local recurrences occurred with tumors initially treated with excision and adjuvant brachytherapy ( Sr 90 ), in comparison with tumors treated with excision only or with excision with cryotherapy. Mean tumor thickness was 2.1 mm (standard deviation 1.9 mm). Tumor thickness was also a prognostic factor for survival. Forty three patients had regional lymph node metastases, mostly to the preauricular lymph nodes. Fifty patients had a distant metastases mainly to the liver and lung. Tumor-related survival was 86.5% at 5 years, 72% at 10 years and 67% at 15 years.
Conclusion	Poor survival was associated with a non-epibulbar melanoma and thicker tumors. In this study, fewer local recurrences were seen when excision was combined by brachytherapy.

Author 1

Last name	MISSOTTEN
Initials	GS
Department	Leiden University Medical Center
City	Leiden

Author 2

Last name	de Wolff-Rouendaal
Initials	D
Department	Leiden University Medical Center
City	Leiden

Author 3

Last name	Tassignon
Initials	MJ
Department	Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen
City	Antwerpen

Author 4

Last name	de Keizer
Initials	RJ
Department	Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen en Leiden University Medical Center
City	Antwerpen