© 2007 Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research
Magnetic Resonance Screening Trial for Hepatic Metastasis in Patients with Locally Controlled Choroidal Melanoma
1 Division of Diagnostic Radiology
2 Division of Ophthalmology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
3 Division of Diagnostic Imaging, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
4 Department of Radiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
For reprints and all correspondence: Ukihide Tateishi, Division of Diagnostic Radiology, National Cancer Center Hospital, 5-1-1, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, 104-0045, Tokyo, Japan. E-mail: utateish{at}ncc.go.jp
Received October 4, 2006; accepted November 13, 2006
Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the value of magnetic resonance (MR) screening for detection of hepatic metastasis in patients with locally controlled choroidal melanoma.
Methods: MR examinations were performed after an initial diagnosis of choroidal melanoma in 159 patients (mean age 56 years: range, 10–86 years). The MR follow-up interval was 5.2 ± 1.7 years (range, 1.2–6.6 years). A total of 363 MR studies were reviewed by two radiologists for predominant signal intensity characteristics. Hepatic metastasis was verified by histological examination: tumor resection and CT-guided needle biopsy specimens and/or on the basis of an obvious progression in number and/or size of the lesions on the follow-up MR examination.
Results: The majority of patients underwent MR examinations from one to three times (n = 126, 79%). During a mean follow-up period of 5.7 years, a focal abnormality in the liver was found in 20 patients (13%). Of these, 15 patients (9%) were diagnosed as having hepatic metastasis. The number of the metastatic lesions with a short T1 and short T2 pattern were one (n = 1, 9%), two (n = 2, 18%), three (n = 1, 9%) and multiple (n = 7, 63%). The focal abnormalities of MR examinations in five other patients consisted of vascular artifacts (n = 3, 15%) and cysts with hemorrhage (n = 2, 10%).
Conclusions: The screening of MR examinations detected hepatic metastasis in 15 of 159 patients (9%) with locally controlled choroidal melanoma.
Key Words: choroidal melanoma • metastasis • MRI • screening