Resection of liver metastases from ocular melanoma remains discussional: An experience with 5 cases / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the indications and feasibility of resecting liver metastases from ocular melanoma. Methods and Results From Jan. 2005 to Dec. 2010, 5 patients with liver metastases from ocular melanoma were admitted to our hospital and received abdominal exploration. The clinicopathologic features and the surgical results of the 5 patients were retrospectively analyzed together with the latest literatures home and abroad. All the 5 patients received aggressive surgical managements, and simultaneous intra-arterial hepatic chemoembolization (TACE) was done in three cases. One patient received liver biopsies only after discovery of multiple visceral metastases; the other 4 with multiple liver metastases underwent palliative liver resection. All the 5 patients had poor prognoses, with a median overall postoperative survival rate of 9.6 (3-26) months. Conclusion Liver metastases from ocular melanoma are impossible to detect in an early stage. With unclear surgical indications and poor prognosis, it remains hard to handle in clinical practice.