Retinal metastasis from systemic cancer in 8 cases.
Overview
abstract
IMPORTANCE: Metastatic tumors of the retina are rare, simulate retinitis, and are associated with poor patient survival. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features and outcomes of patients with retinal metastasis from systemic cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective case series of 8 patients with retinal metastasis from cutaneous melanoma (n = 4), breast cancer (n =2), esophageal cancer (n =1), and lung cancer (n = 1). At presentation, the mean patient age was 62 years and all were white. INTERVENTION: Treatment included plaque radiotherapy (n = 1) for localized disease or enucleation (n =3) for extensive tumor hemorrhage (n = 1), total retinal detachment (n = 1), or pain (n = 1). For 4 preterminal patients, observation was preferred. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Clinical features and systemic outcomes. RESULTS: The mean interval from primary cancer diagnosis to retinal metastasis was 63 months. Initial misdiagnosis as retinitis (n = 5), hemangioma (n = 1), choroidal neovascular membrane (n = 1), or nerve fiber layer infarction (n = 1) for a mean interval of 5 months was recorded. Visual acuity in the affected eye was 20/40 to 20/60 (n = 5) or 20/400 to light perception (n = 3). The tumors were unilateral (n = 7), involved the macula (n = 3), and had a mean distance to the foveola of 6 mm. In one case, dense vitreous blood precluded fundus visualization. The mean tumor basal dimension was 7.4 mm, and the mean thickness was 2.3 mm. The tumors appeared white (n = 2), yellow (n = 4), or brown (n = 1); were located in the inner retina (n = 6) or full-thickness retina (n = 1); and had vitreous seeds (n = 3), vitreous hemorrhage (n = 2), retinal hemorrhage (n = 4), subretinal fluid (n = 4), and/or intraretinal exudation (n = 1). Fluorescein angiography disclosed early retinal hypofluorescence and late hyperfluorescence with staining. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy confirmed the diagnoses (n = 4). Metastasis-related death occurred in 5 patients within 1 month in each case. Of the remaining 3 patients, 2 were alive at 4 and 17 months and 1 was too sick to return. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Retinal metastases resemble retinitis, often with delay in diagnosis and poor life prognosis.
