Conditions: Conjunctival Neoplasms
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 5
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to test the safety and tolerability of subconjunctival injection of ranibizumab in the treatment of malignant conjunctival neoplasia using the incidence and severity of adverse events.

Our secondary objective is to assess the efficacy of ranibizumab treatment on malignant conjunctival neoplasia by evaluating tumor destruction or reduction as documented by slit-lamp photography and ultrasonographic imaging and the regression of blood vessels.

Detailed description:
Ranibizumab is a recently approved vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor shown to be effective in treating exudative macular degeneration. Its analog, Avastin has also been employed to treat macular edema, proliferative diabetic retinopathy and wet age related macular degeneration. Ranibizumab binds to and inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), which has been shown to cause neovascularization and leakage in models of ocular angiogenesis. Binding to VEGF-A prevents ranibizumab's interaction with VEGFR-1 and -2 receptors on the surface of endothelial cells, thereby reducing proliferation, vascular leakage, and angiogenesis.

Given that conjunctival tumors require the formation of new blood vessels to supply the proliferating cells, we propose a study to evaluate the effect of subconjunctival ranibizumab as a primary intervention in patients with conjunctival tumors.

Arms:
arm 1: Patients will receive subconjunctival ranibizumab every 2-4 weeks.

Interventions: intervention 1: ranibizumab
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Subconjunctival injection of drug every 2 to 4 weeks

Protocol document: