Courtesy of Carol L. Shields, MD
Diagnostic Testing
The diagnosis of conjunctival melanoma is suspected particularly in an adult patient who notes the onset of a new pigmented lesion on the surface of the eye. There are several pigmented conjunctival tumors, including nevus, racial melanosis, primary acquired melanosis, and melanoma. In most instances, a clinical examination can differentiate these conditions. Nevi are generally present since childhood and often display subtle intrinsic cysts. Racial melanosis is flat bilateral pigment in dark complected races, classically manifesting in the perilimbal region. Primary acquired melanosis is unilateral flat pigmentation in light complected races and haphazard in distribution. Melanoma tends to display feeder vessels, measurable thickness, and irregular shape. Complete surgical excision of conjunctival melanoma with histopathology confirmation is critical. Occasionally ultrasound biomicroscopy is necessary to exclude intraocular invasion. Magnetic resonance imaging is useful for those patients suspected of having orbital extension and to rule out brain metastasis. There is interest in using sentinel lymph node biopsy to track micrometastatic disease, but its long-term benefit has not yet been established.9
Current Treatments
The management of conjunctival melanoma varies with the extent of the lesion.10 In general, this malignancy is particularly difficult to treat. Despite excellent microscopic excision of the mass, further disease can develop from associated PAM in 26% of patients within five years and 65% of patients within 15 years.8
While there have been no randomized controlled trials for the treatment of conjunctival melanoma, I describe the following treatments based on more than three decades of experience. Classic melanoma at the corneoscleral limbus is removed under the operating microscope with precision. The flat corneal component is removed with absolute alcohol treatment of the involved cornea. Then an epitheliectomy under totally dry conditions is used to scroll off the epithelium. The conjunctival component is removed with the wide "no touch" surgical technique of partial lamellar scleroconjunctivectomy, achieving tumor-free margins of 4 mm, and followed by double freeze-thaw cryotherapy. It is important to avoid partial excision as this can seed the tumor and lead to conjunctival or orbital recurrence. Larger lesions that extend into the forniceal region or orbit can require more extensive excision, always completed with tumor-free margins surrounding the tumor and no touch, dry technique. Closure is achieved by primary apposition of conjunctiva or with conjunctival rotational flaps, a mucous membrane graft from the opposite eye or the buccal mucosa, or amniotic membrane transplantation. Tissue glues have been used to place and secure grafts, particularly amniotic membrane. Often, fornix-deepening sutures or a symblepharon ring is required to re-form the fornix. Lesions that extend into the globe typically require modified enucleation, and those that extend into the orbit require orbital exenteration. If a patient with known conjunctival melanoma develops recurrent PAM, it is advisable to treat the melanosis promptly before melanoma develops using methods of excision, cryotherapy, or topical mitomycin C or interferon alpha-2b.
Systemic Monitoring
Patients with conjunctival melanoma should be monitored two or three times a year for metastatic disease. Metastases most often appear in the preauricular or submandibular lymph nodes, lung, and brain. Physical examination should include palpation of the head and neck lymph nodes. Annual chest X-rays and brain magnetic resonance imaging are recommended. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended for the detection of micrometastases to the regional lymph nodes. It is hoped that this will improve a patient's chances of survival,9 but there is no evidence to date that it will do so.
Prognosis
Local recurrence of conjunctival melanoma and metastatic disease is most often found in patients with large multifocal or recurrent tumors, particularly those whose tumors are in the conjunctival fornix, caruncle, or tarsal region and those in whom histopathology indicates positive margins.8 This latter group of patients with positive margins on histopathology showed a 5.7 relative risk of succumbing to metastatic disease. To improve their prognosis, patients with conjunctival melanoma should be monitored by experienced ocular oncologists at four to six month intervals to detect even minimal disease recurrence or precursor PAM that might require treatment.
References
1. Shields JA, Shields CL. Conjunctival melanocytic lesions. Atlas of Eyelid and Conjunctival Tumors. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.; 2008;307-48.
2. Seregard S. Conjunctival melanoma. Surv Ophthalmol. 1998;42:321-350.
3. Shields CL, Demirci H, Karatza E, Shields JA. Clinical survey of 1643 melanocytic and nonmelanocytic tumors of the conjunctiva. Ophthalmology. 2004;111:1747-1754.
4. Yu GP, Hu DN, McCormick S, Finger PT. Conjunctival melanoma: Is it increasing in the United States? Am J Ophthalmol. 2003;135:800-806.
5. Shields CL, Fasiudden A, Mashayekhi A, Shields JA. Conjunctival nevi: clinical features and natural course in 410 consecutive patients. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122:167-175.
6. Shields JA, Shields CL, Mashayekhi A, et al. Primary acquired melanosis of the conjunctiva: risks for progression to melanoma in 311 eyes. The 2006 Lorenz E. Zimmerman lecture. Ophthalmology. 2008;115:511-519.
7. Folberg R, McLean IW, Zimmerman LE. Primary acquired melanosis of the conjunctiva. Hum Pathol. 1985;16:136-43.
8. Shields CL, Shields JA, Gunduz K, et al: Conjunctival melanoma: risk factors for recurrence, exenteration, metastasis, and death in 150 consecutive patients. Arch Ophthalmol. 2000;118:1497-1507.
9. Esmaeli B, Eicher S, Popp J, Delpassand E, Prieto VG, Gershenwald JE. Sentinel lymph node biopsy for conjunctival melanoma. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 2001;17:436-442.
10. Shields CL. Conjunctival melanoma. Br J Ophthalmol. 2002;86:127.
11. Shields CL, Demirci H, Shields JA, Spanich C. Dramatic regression of conjunctival and corneal acquired melanosis with topical mitomycin C. Br J Ophthalmol. 2002;86:244-245.
Author Disclosure
Support provided by the Eye Tumor Research Foundation of Philadelphia, the Macula Foundation of New York, and the Rosenthal Award of The Macula Society of Cleveland, Ohio.