Abstract
Purpose :
To report on the relationship between the use of whole-body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) screening for metastases detection at the time of diagnosis of uveal melanoma and clinical outcomes.
Methods :
We identified 101 consecutive patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma who underwent whole-body PET/CT screening for metastases detection in Alberta between 2014 – 2016. For each patient, we extracted from their electronic medical record: demographic; clinical; primary tumor characteristics; PET/CT scans, along with the associated radiology findings; and any follow-up investigations. The primary outcome of interest was the false positivity rate for uveal melanoma metastases from a PET/CT scan.
Results :
Of the 101 patients identified: 45 (44.6%) were male and 56 (55.4%) were female. The mean age at the time of PET/CT scan was 60.8 years (range: 20 - 90 years). The large majority (n=86; 85.1%) were diagnosed with choroidal melanoma, 2 (2.0%) with ciliary body melanoma, 1 (1.0%) with iris melanoma, and 12 (11.9%) with involvement of more than one part of the uveal tract. PET/CT scans indicated presence of primary uveal melanoma metastases in 2 (2.0%) out of 101 patients. These 2 patients underwent ultrasound-guided liver biopsies and the biopsy results confirmed presence of primary uveal melanoma metastases in both patients. The most common sites for metastases were the liver (n=2, 100%) and osseous (n=1, 50%), including multiple sites of metastases in 1 patient. There were no false positives from the PET/CT scan. PET/CT scans also indicated presence of primary lung metastases in 2 (2.0%) out of 101 patients and presence of primary breast metastases in 1 (1.0%) out of 101 patients.
Conclusions :
Our population-based study indicates that around 2.0% of patients who undergo PET/CT screening for staging of uveal melanoma end up being diagnosed with uveal melanoma metastases. With no false positives, PET/CT screening may be an effective tool for detection of uveal melanoma metastases.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.