Just another metastatic carcinoid tumour to the uveal tract()

We describe the clinic, image, and histopathologic features of a well differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (carcinoid tumour) metastatic to choroid and ciliary body in a 52-year-old Mexican Mestizo man. The ophthalmologic examination showed an inferior choroidal mass accompanied by exudative retinal detachment. Ultrasound B-Scan study revealed a diffuse thickened choroid with overlying serous retinal detachment, ultrasound A-Scan revealed a high internal reflectivity solid lesion. Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) evidenced a dome shaped ciliary body mass, presumptive diagnosis was uveal tract metastatic disease. Scleral flap choroidal incisional biopsy was performed. Microscopic evaluation demonstrated a hypercellular lesion replacing choroid, composed by cohesive oval-round cells with finely granular chromatin arranged in organoid pattern. Immunohistochemical reactions were Pankeratin AE1/AE3 (+), Cytokeratin CK5/6 (+), Chromogranin A (+), Ki67 (20%), typical well differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (carcinoid tumour) was diagnosed. Patient had a mediastinal carcinoid diagnosed 3 years earlier. Metastatic cancer to the eye is perhaps the leading cause of intraocular tumour, despite this fact metastases are rarely seen by the ophthalmologist while the patient is alive. Intraocular metastasis should be considered in the presence of ciliary body or/and choroidal amelanotic or pigmented mass and serous retinal detachment in a patient with history of carcinoid tumor, althought its low frequency (2.2%).