Study Finds Low Occurrence of Ocular Metastases in Retrospective Analysis

In a retrospective study conducted by Brazilian investigators, concerns about the occurrence of ocular metastases were addressed. Led by first author Matheus Senna Pereira Ogata, MD, from the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Paulista Medical School, Federal University of São Paulo, the research aimed to delve into the frequency and characteristics of ocular metastases in the Brazilian population.

"Considering what is known about ocular metastases," stated Ogata and his colleagues, "we aimed to expand the knowledge base by investigating the profile of patients with ocular metastases."

Study Methodology

The study included an analysis of medical records from June 2017 to June 2023, focusing on patients referred to the Ocular Oncology Service of the Federal University of São Paulo with suspected ocular metastasis.

Of the 37 cases identified, with a mean age at diagnosis of 53.47 years, 15 were confirmed to have ocular metastases. Notably, almost three-quarters of these patients were women, indicating a potential gender disparity in ocular metastases occurrence.

Key Findings

"The most common primary tumor sites identified were the breast and the lungs," the investigators reported. They further noted that all confirmed cases had metastases at the choroid, with a mean initial visual acuity of 1.37 ± 1.04 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution.

Chemotherapy emerged as the primary systemic treatment for 73.3% of the patients, while over half did not undergo ocular treatment. The mean follow-up period was 14.8 months, during which a mortality rate of 30.0% was observed.

Implications for Research and Patient Care

Commenting on the significance of their findings, the authors emphasized the need for multicentric studies to further characterize this population. "Our findings described the profile of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of metastases in Brazil," they remarked, "highlighting individual and lesion characteristics."

The study's revelation of a relatively low frequency of ocular metastases in the Brazilian population adds a significant dimension to the understanding of this condition. It underscores the importance of continued research efforts to elucidate the intricacies of ocular metastases and improve patient outcomes.

References

Ogata MSP, Ferreira GR, Morales MC, Fernandes AG. Ocular metastases profile in a tertiary hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Int J Retin Vitr. 2024;10:34; https://doi.org/10.1186/s40942-024-00551-7

Shields CL, Shields JA, Gross NE, Schwartz GP, Lally SE. Survey of 520 eyes with uveal metastases. Ophthalmology. 1997;104:1265–76.

Eliassi-Rad B, Albert DM, Green WR. Frequency of ocular metastases in patients dying of cancer in eye bank populations. Br J Ophthalmol. 1996;80:125–8.

Shields JA, Carvalho C, Shields CL, Singh AD, Wagner D. Bilateral choroidal metastasis from adenoid cystic carcinoma of the submandibular gland. Retina. 2000;20:406–7.