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Intraocular lymphoma has many clinical implications
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — The rarity of intraocular lymphoma causes concern and has many clinical implications for physicians, a speaker said here.
According to Janet L. Davis, MD, the largest clinical implication of intraocular lymphoma is that the disease is rare.
“There are probably no more than 300 or 400 cases in the United States, which gets everyone’s attention because it is potentially lethal, unlike most of the eye diseases we treat,” she said at Retina 2013. “Another concerning clinical presentation is that it can masquerade as a uveitis. Also, the treatment can be controversial and difficult — a difficult decision to make and not one that you would make in isolation, but would also discuss with an oncologist.”
Janet L. Davis
Davis said the two basic clinical presentations of intraocular lymphoma are intravitreal growth and subretinal growth.
An expanded range of diagnostic tests is available in select centers, she said, and cytology will always be the gold standard because that is what hematologists are interested in.
Physicians should avoid using corticosteroids as an empirical test, she said.
Disclosure: Davis is a consultant for Xoma and receives grant support from Santen.