Adjunctive radiotherapy with strontium-90 in the treatment of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma of the ocular conjunctiva is a relatively rare malignancy which is attended by a high rate of local recurrence following simple surgical excision. To date, the management of conjunctival squamous cell cancer has been controversial. From 1950 to 1985, 146 consecutive patients with superficial conjunctival squamous cell cancer were treated at the Queensland Radium Institute. All patients were treated by simple surgical excision of the visible conjunctival lesion followed by adjunctive radiotherapy. Of 140 patients with histologically confirmed squamous cell cancer, 123 were treated with a strontium-90 source, 10 with a radon ring, and 7 with superficial X ray therapy. Standard policy since 1960 has been to deliver an incident dose of 30 Gy in a single fraction within the first 48 post-operative hours to the surgical bed using a strontium-90 source on a stand-off eye applicator. This report will largely focus on the 123 patients who were treated with a strontium-90 source, of whom 107 received 30 Gy, 14 received 40 Gy (pre 1960) and one patient each received 20 and 25 Gy incident dose. Of 131 evaluable patients, there were only 3 who developed local recurrence. All 3 local recurrences developed in elderly men who had presented with extensive superficial primary tumors. Two of the three recurrences occurred in the two patients who were treated with doses less than 30 Gy. Both early and late radiation-induced complications following ablative surgery and treatment with strontium-90 were very uncommon. Three patients developed unsightly conjunctival telangiectasia, 2 patients developed a persistent scleral ulcer and 2 patients developed clinically significant cataracts.
- Research Organization:
- Queensland Radium Institute, Brisbane (Australia)
- OSTI ID:
- 5202808
- Journal Information:
- Int. J. Radiat. Oncol., Biol. Phys.; (United States), Vol. 14:3
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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