Laser photocoagulation treatment of choroidal melanoma

Ten cases of choroidal melanoma were treated with Argon and/or Krypton laser photocoagulation in this retrospective study. Each patient received an average of 9.6 laser treatment sessions. Three female and seven male patients were treated and followed for an average of 69.9 months. Clinical regression was observed in seven cases (70%).
Tumour size in these successfully treated cases ranged from 4.5 times 5.0 times 1.5 mm to 7.0 times 7.0 times 3.5 mm. Continued growth occurred in one case (10%), tumour recurrence which failed to respond to additional laser treatment in another (10%), and although a recurrence appeared to respond to additional laser in a third case (the largest tumour in the series 11.0 times 9.0 times 2.5 mm) extraocular extension was found at enucleation (10%).
Complications of laser treatment included cystoid macular oedema (Case 5), branch retinal vein occlusion (Cases 3 and 6), vitreous haemorrhage from neovascularisation at the edge of the scar, optic atrophy and thrombotic glaucoma (Case 8), and macular involvement by laser (Cases 4, 7 and 10). All patients remain alive without any clinical evidence of metastatic disease at the end of the follow-up period.
These results suggest that laser photocoagulation treatment is a useful option in the management of small choroidal melanomas. It avoids the psychological trauma of enucleation, and maintains some vision, without compromising life expectancy.