PURPOSE: This retrospective study was undertaken to clarify the role of high energy external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and to determine its safety and efficacy on local control and visual acuity in @entity1 suffering from @entity3 ( @entity3 ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 58 consecutive @entity1 treated with EBRT between 1970 and 1993 were analyzed. The female to male ratio was 2.9 and the median age was 59 years (range 40-81 years). Thirty-six @entity1 (62%) had unilateral @entity3 and 22 @entity1 had bilateral @entity3 . The mean number of lesions per eye was two. @entity1713 was present in 65% of cases. The primary @entity5 (PT) was @entity0 for 38 @entity1 (75%), @entity2 for 10 @entity1 (17%) and gastrointestinal, genitourinary or unknown PT for the remaining 10 @entity1 . The median interval of time between the PT and the @entity3 was 55 months (range 0-228 months). All @entity1 were treated with megavoltage irradiation. The median prescribed dose was 35.5 Gy (range 20-53 Gy) normalized at a 2 Gy per fraction schedule with an alpha/beta value of 10 Gy. Various techniques were used and whenever possible the lens was spared. Ten @entity1 with unilateral disease were @entity735 . RESULTS: The @entity5 response was slow. When assessed after 3 months or more, the complete response rate was 53% with significantly better results for doses higher than 35.5 Gy (72 versus 33%; P = 0.009). Visual acuity was improved or stabilized in 62% of @entity1 , with also significantly better results when doses higher than 35.5 Gy (P = 0.014) were administered. Amongst 26 @entity1 with unilateral @entity3 who had no elective contralateral irradiation, three developed @entity3 in the opposite eye versus none of the 10 @entity1 who had bilateral irradiation. Five complications occurred (three @entity231 , one @entity989 and one @entity726 ). CONCLUSION: Radiation therapy is an efficient and safe palliative treatment for @entity3 and it helps the preservation of vision. Thus, there is a major impact on the quality of life in a group of @entity1 with an almost uniformly fatal prognosis. Both @entity5 response and visual acuity are significantly improved if doses higher than 35.5 Gy are administered. Whenever possible, a lens sparing technique should be used.

Radiotherapy of XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity0 :: ('MESH:D001943', 'Disease') :: ['breast carcinoma'] @entity231 :: ('MESH:D002386', 'Disease') :: ['cataracts'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumour'] @entity1713 :: ('MESH:D012163', 'Disease') :: ['Retinal detachment'] @entity2 :: ('MESH:D008175', 'Disease') :: ['lung carcinoma'] @entity726 :: ('MESH:D005901', 'Disease') :: ['glaucoma'] @entity735 :: ('MESH:D005124', 'Disease') :: ['treated in both eyes'] @entity3 :: ('MESH:D009362', 'Disease') :: ['metastasis', 'choroidal metastases', 'CM'] @entity989 :: ('MESH:D012164', 'Disease') :: ['retinopathy']
@entity3 :: (MESH:D009362,Disease) :: ['choroidal metastases']
