Radiation Therapy of Choroidal Metastases

Abstract

Metastatic lesions to the eye are now widely recognized as the most common neoplasm of this organ. Of historic interest is the fact that the frequency of metastatic disease to the eye, as compared to primary intraocular tumors, was debated as recently as 1976, in a paper by Francois and Hanssens. After reviewing the literature, these authors commented that ‘many authors think that intraocular metastases are much more common and could be the most frequent malignant tumor of the eye, although other authors consider the malignant melanomas of the choroid to be the most frequent.’ Reports of metastatic disease to the eye and the orbit can be found in the medical literature throughout the last century. Albert et al. (1967) were the first to document the frequency of ocular metastases.