Cancer in the eye, also known as ocular melanoma, is a type of tumor that most of the time causes no apparent signs or symptoms, being more frequent in people between 45 and 75 years old and who have blue eye.
As signs and symptoms are often not verified, the diagnosis is more difficult, there is a greater chance of metastasis, especially for the brain, lungs and liver and the treatment becomes more aggressive, and it may be necessary to remove the eye.
Main symptoms
The signs and symptoms of cancer in the eye are not frequent, but they appear more easily when the disease is already at a more advanced stage, the main ones being:
- Decreased visual capacity, with the possibility of loss of vision in one eye;
- Blurred and limited vision in one eye;
- Loss of peripheral vision;
- Changes in the shape of the pupil and the appearance of a spot in the eye;
- Emergence of "flies" in the vision or sensation of lightning flashes.
In addition, as this type of cancer has a great capacity for metastasis, it is also possible that other symptoms may arise that are related to the spreading and proliferation of cancer cells, with pulmonary, brain or liver symptoms, mainly.
How the diagnosis is made
The diagnosis of ocular melanoma most often happens during routine examinations, as the symptoms are uncommon. Thus, in order to diagnose cancer in the eye, the ophthalmologist, in addition to evaluating the signs and symptoms that may be being presented by the patient, performs more specific exams, such as retinography, angiography, retinal mapping and ocular ultrasound.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, other tests are also requested in order to check for metastasis, and it is recommended to perform tomography, abdominal ultrasound, magnetic resonance and blood tests to assess liver function, such as TGO / AST, TGP / ALT and GGT, since the liver is the main site of metastasis of ocular melanoma. Learn more about the tests that evaluate the liver.
How the treatment is done
The main objective of the treatment is to preserve the eye tissues and vision, however the type of treatment depends on the size of the tumor and its location, in addition to whether or not there was metastasis.
In the case of small or medium tumors, radiotherapy and laser therapy are usually indicated, however when the tumor is large it may be necessary to have surgery to remove the tumor and surrounding tissues. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the eye, this procedure is called enucleation, however it is quite aggressive and, therefore, it is only indicated when previous treatments had no effect or when the chance of metastasis is very high.
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Bibliography
- HOSPITAL DE OLHOS DE SÃO PAULO. Can eye melanoma be cured?. Available in: . Accessed on 31 Oct 2019
- INSTITUTE OF OPHTHALMOLOGY OF RIO DE JANEIRO. Eye Tumors. Available in: . Accessed on 31 Oct 2019
- GRUPO SANFIL MEDICINA. Melanoma of the eye. Available in: . Accessed on 31 Oct 2019
- BRAZILIAN COUNCIL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY. All About Eye Tumors. Available in: . Accessed on 31 Oct 2019
- HOFLING-LIMA, Ana Luisa et al. Ophthalmology Conduct Manual. São Paulo: Editora Atheneu, 2008. 675-676; 1013-1018.
