Eighteen-year results of treatment of uveal melanoma using Ruthenium-106 + Rhodium-106 brachytherapy

The objective of the study was to evaluate the results of Ruthenium-106 (106Ru) + Rhodium-106 (106Rh) brachytherapy in uveal melanoma (UM) patients.The data for the period 2001–2018 were taken from the Belarusian Cancer Registry and medical records of patients with clinically diagnosed uveal melanoma who received treatment at the N. N. Alexandrov National Cancer Centre of Belarus. A total of 383 patients were included in the study. 106Ru + 106Rh β-ophthalmic applicators were used for brachytherapy (BT). The calculated dose to the tumor apex was 120–130 Gy, while the reduced 100–110 Gy was administered to tumors close to the optic nerve. To analyze the treatment outcomes, patients were divided into three groups based on a basal diameter of a tumor.Out of a total 383 patients, complete tumor resolution was observed in 282 (73.6 %), tumor stabilization was present in 76 (19.8 %). Continued tumor growth and tumor relapse were observed in 34 (9.13 %) and 50 (13.05 %) patients, respectively. 59 (15.1 %) patients underwent enucleation. The metastatic disease developed in 47 (12.3 %) cases. BT adverse effects were observed in 21.3 % cases. The relapse-free survival in the group of patients with a basal tumor diameter of up to 9 mm was 76.0 ± 6.3 %, which was higher than that in the groups with a large basal diameter (p = 0.002). Over a 15-year follow-up period, almost half of the patients (52.2 ± 15.6 %) with a tumor base of more than 12 mm relapsed.Considering the high rates of the continued tumor growth during treatment in patients with a basal tumor diameter of more than 12 mm, combined therapy must be used in this group.