Are astigmatism and floaters "eye tumors"? 4 major symptoms of medical warning: The mortality rate of malignant melanoma is nearly 50%!
Pay attention to unknown astigmatism and floaters. She was found to have an “eye tumor” before she was 50 years old.
Be careful about vision changes. Sudden occurrence of “floaters”, astigmatism, and image distortion may not only be due to aging of the eyes, but may also be caused by “eye tumors”? Ms. Lai, who is in her 40s, discovered three years ago that the image would be distorted and deformed when looking at objects, and there would be bulges and unevenness when looking at the ground. She was diagnosed with retinal detachment at the general ophthalmology department. It was not until she was referred to a medical center that she discovered that it was a rare intraocular disease. For malignant melanoma, he was able to avoid having to remove his eyeballs after taking proton therapy, and his visual acuity returned to 1.0.
Zhou Hongda, an attending physician at the Department of Retina, Department of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, pointed out that the most common eye tumors in adults and children are “retinoblastoma” and “malignant melanoma.” When tumors grow in the retina, they may cause floaters, astigmatism, and poor vision. Distortion, or the tumor is so large that it blocks the field of view and causes shadows. However, when eye tumors are smaller than 0.3 cm, there are almost no obvious symptoms. In addition, eye tumors are relatively rare, which can easily lead to delayed diagnosis or improper treatment, leading to worsening of the condition.
Is intraocular melanoma highly lethal? Proton therapy increases chances of preserving eyeballs
Dr. Zhou Hongda said that intraocular malignant melanoma is quite rare. The number of cases in Taiwan is estimated to be less than 100 cases each year. However, the 10-year mortality rate of malignant melanoma can be as high as 50%. Tumors often grow deep in the retina and are difficult to detect. They must be diagnosed by someone. This can only be discovered by an experienced physician performing pupil dilation. In addition, once eye tumors grow larger than 0.3 centimeters, they may metastasize to the liver and lungs. In the past, eyeball removal was often used for treatment, which would cause great harm to the patient’s psychology and appearance, and there was no possibility of preserving vision.
“In recent years, external radiation therapy, especially proton therapy, for the treatment of primary tumors of the eyeball, can not only increase the chance of preserving vision, but also reduce the damage to surrounding tissues. It is known as the golden treatment for eyeball melanoma!”
Dr. Zhou Hongda pointed out that compared with photon radiation therapy, proton therapy is more like a target missile. It uses a special radiation curve to dissipate energy after reaching the tumor location, which can reduce damage to the cornea and the periphery of the eyeball. Large-scale studies in Europe and the United States have also shown that the tumor control rate of proton therapy for eyeball melanoma can reach more than 90%, and at the same time, the chance of preserving the eyeball is increased. Only through the cooperation of various specialties and cross-teams can patients get the best treatment results.
Scanning, multi-angle proton therapy reduces damage to the lacrimal gland, cornea and lens
Dr. Wang Junjie, deputy director of the Radiation Oncology Department of the Proton and Radiotherapy Center of Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, said that proton therapy has been widely used for larger tumors. However, the eyeball has a delicate structure and is only about 2.5 minutes in size. It is easy to be injured by radiation therapy. Cornea and lens. Nowadays, through scanning and multi-angle treatment methods, eye tumors can be treated without going through the surface of the eyeball, and the damage caused by radiation therapy to the tear glands, crystalline lens and other parts of the eyeball can be reduced.
“Although eye tumors are relatively rare, the eyes are the windows to the soul and have a significant impact on patients’ daily life and movement sensation. Compared with past photon therapy, proton therapy has the same good tumor control rate, but can have higher vision. Keep the chance!”
Dr. Wang Junjie explained that the main difference between photon therapy and proton therapy is the side effects. In the past, photon therapy for eye tumors may still cause cataracts or cause severe damage to the cornea or conjunctiva, which would later lead to the dilemma of needing to remove the eyeball. However, as the technology of proton therapy continues to improve, It can be used to treat tumors ranging from intraocular melanoma of 0.3 centimeters to liver cancer tumors of more than 10 centimeters. In the future, we will also develop a large-scale treatment for meningeal metastases from the head to the base of the spine in children and adults, benefiting more patients.
Will glaucoma still occur after proton therapy? Doctor: Preventive intraocular injection is very important
Dr. Zhou Hongda pointed out that although proton therapy is accurate and less harmful, its effectiveness is still limited, and it is more suitable for eye tumors with a size of less than one centimeter. Problems such as dry eye, retinal degeneration, and glaucoma are also common after treatment. In particular, glaucoma may seriously affect vision. According to the latest research report, eye tumor patients are recommended to receive regular intraocular drug injections after proton therapy to help reduce the chance of subsequent glaucoma.
Wu Junde, deputy director of Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, pointed out that since the proton radiotherapy center was opened in 2015, more than 6,000 proton therapy cases have been performed so far. Among them, eye tumors are not only rare and small in size, but are often located deep in the retina, making them extremely difficult to treat and require Interdisciplinary teamwork. In the future, we will continue to optimize proton therapy and plan to develop cutting-edge technologies such as fine-needle sectioning and genetic testing of eye tumors to provide better medical quality for patients with eye tumors in Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region.
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