Purpose: To report clinical features of uveal metastatic tumors in Korean patients who have different cancer profiles than those of patients in Western countries.
Methods: The authors performed a retrospective chart review on all patients with evaluated uveal metastases.
Results: Fourteen patients were diagnosed. One eye involved the iris, and 14 eyes of 13 patients involved the choroid. The metastases came from a primary cancer of the breast in four (29%), the lung in four (29%), the stomach in two (14%), the esophagus in one (7%), the common bile duct in one (7%), the kidney in one (7%), and unknown in one (7%). Thirteen (93%) of 14 choroidal metastases were associated with subretinal fluid, and eight (57%) eyes had tumors that were posterior to the equator. At the time of diagnosis, all patients had a history of cancer, and 11 patients had a metastatic lesion elsewhere. Three patients were undergoing chemotherapy. All three cases from gastric or esophageal cancer had a thicker choroidal mass and massive exudative retinal detachment.
Conclusions: The authors' series of uveal metastases showed a higher incidence from gastrointestinal cancer in Korean patients. Choroidal tumors from gastric or esophageal cancer seemed to be larger with massive exudation.