Characteristics, management, and outcome of patients with uveal melanoma treated by Iodine-125 radioactive plaque therapy in a single tertiary cancer center in Jordan

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate King Hussein Cancer Center experience in using Iodine-125 COMS radioactive plaque for treatment of Uveal Melanoma in Jordan. METHODS: Retrospective case series of eyes with uveal melanoma treated by Iodine-125 COMS radioactive plaque therapy. Data collection required access to medical, radiology, Labs and pathology reports. Main outcomes studied includes: Demographics, tumor features, eye salvage, visual outcome, metastasis, and mortality. RESULTS: Between September 2008 and March 2015, 28 eyes for 28 patients had intraocular uveal melanoma and treated by Iodine-125 radioactive plaque therapy. The mean age at diagnosis was 48 years and 16(57%) were males. The mean tumor thickness was 8 mm (range: 4–13 mm), and 27(96%) patients had medium or large size tumor. The radioactive plaques used had a median size of 16 mm (range: 12–20 mm). The mean apical dose was 83.5 Gy (range 81–87 Gy), and the median radiation rate was 7.25 (range: 4.5–13). At median follow up of 2 years (range 0.5–7 years), eye salvage rate was 93%. Four (15%) patients had distance metastasis, and 3(11%) were dead. Fifty percent of patient had visual acuity better than 20/200 at the last date of follow up. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary results are encouraging and are comparable to another countries worldwide. The use of Iodine-125 COMs plaque therapy at the inspection of implementation of plaque therapy in the developing countries can lead to eye salvage in more than 90% of cases, and reserves functional vision in more than 50% of cases.