Metastatic choroidal tumors in Taiwan: An 11-year experience

PURPOSE: To report the clinical features, the primary sites, and overall prognosis of choroidal metastasis. DESIGN: Observational case series. METHODS: Included were all cases of choroidal metastases evaluated at National Taiwan University Hospital over an 11-year period. Patients with blood or lymphoproliferative diseases were excluded. Clinical features were correlated with disease entity and prognosis. RESULTS: A total of 36 patients with choroidal metastases were identified. The mean age was 53.9 ± 12.8 years. The mean follow-up period was 5.1 ± 4.2 months. The primary sites of tumors were lung in 18 (50%), breast in eight (22.2%), gastrointestinal tract in three (8.3%), pancreas in two (5.6%), ovary in two (5.6%), kidney in one (2.8%), liver in one (2.8%), and unknown in one (2.8%). Twenty-two patients (61%) died during follow-up. Mean life span after diagnosis was 4.3 months in these 22 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Lung and breast cancers represent more than two thirds of primary tumor sites. Choroidal metastases may indicate terminal status of the underlying malignancy and short survival time.