Radiosensitive orbital metastasis as presentation of occult colonic adenocarcinoma

Radiotherapy of orbital metastases: a systematic review of management and treatment outcomes on behalf of palliative care study group of Italian association of radiotherapy and clinical oncology (AIRO)

OBJECTIVES

We search the current literature on data regarding the role of RT in OM treatment, focusing on the improvement of symptoms and patient quality of life.

METHODS

This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations.

RESULTS

From 340 citations, 60 papers were finally selected: 45 case reports and 15 case series. The case reports accounted for 47 patients. In 37/39 cases (95%), EBRT was done. Patients were mainly treated with 3DCRT, IMRT, and with SBRT. The most used RT regimens were 30 Gy in 10 fractions (23%) and 20-25 Gy in 5 fx (13%). No sever toxicity was reported. A median LC of 11 months (range 1-54 months) and a median OS of 12 months (range 1-54 months) were registered. Among the case series, a total of 457 patients were examined, 227 of whom underwent RT. The main used techniques were 3DCRT, CK, GK, SBRT, and BRT. RT doses could vary from 30 Gy/10 fractions to 60 Gy/30 fractions, 50 Gy/5 fractions, or 16.5-21 Gy in single fraction. No toxicity above G2 was reported. ORR could vary between 75 and 100%. Only two study provided information on response duration: a mean LC time of 22.8 months and a mean time to local progression of 5 months (range: 3-7). Regarding OS, the data were heterogeneous, ranging between 1 and 54 months.

CONCLUSIONS

RT for OM seems to be a safe and feasible option. More information on the RT ideal techniques and dose are still needed.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

This paper tried to sum up the few and fragmented data on the use of radiotherapy for orbital metastases: the possible option ranged from 3D- and 2D-CRT to SBRT, CK, and GK, with different possible fractionations (30Gy in 10 fractions, 60 Gy/30 fractions, 20-50 Gy/5 fractions, or 16.5-21 Gy in single fraction). Regardless of the chosen approach, almost all treated patients experienced a benefit after RT in terms of OM-related symptom intensity reduction and a good acute and late toxicity profile.

Rare Signet Ring Cell Adenocarcinoma of the Colon Metastasis to the Orbit

Metastases arising from primary tumors of the gastrointestinal tract are not commonly encountered in the orbit. Colorectal carcinomas are subcategorized based on morphological and genetic characteristics with these distinctions bearing therapeutic and prognostic significance. The behavior of these subcategories, including their propensity for orbital metastasis, differs, and clinicians treating these tumors must be aware of their metastatic profiles. This report describes a 51-year-old female with right upper lid swelling and ptosis ultimately found, what we believe to be, the first reported case of signet ring cell colon carcinoma metastasizing to the levator muscle and superior orbit. This case serves as a reminder to all clinicians to consider orbital metastasis even in malignancies not typically found in this location.

Photodynamic Therapy of Presumed Choroidal Metastasis Secondary to Colorectal Carcinoma: Literature Review

Colorectal cancer may yield metastasis to the choroid. Its management may be challenging, since there is no consensus about treatment. We describe a case of a 70-year-old male with colon cancer who complained of worsening visual acuity of his better-seeing eye to 20/40 secondary to a nonpigmented choroidal mass of medium reflectivity under the inferior temporal arcade and neurosensory foveal detachment. Besides systemic chemotherapy, local treatment with verteporfin photodynamic therapy (vPDT) was performed. After one month, visual acuity improved to 20/25 and subretinal fluid faded. In conclusion, vPDT may be a useful adjuvant treatment modality for choroidal metastasis secondary to colorectal cancer.

Analysis of radiation effects in two irradiated tumor spheroid models

Multicellular spheroids have proven suitable as three-dimensional in vivo-like models of non-vascularized micrometastases. Unlike monolayer-based models, spheroids mirror the cellular milieu and the pathophysiological gradients inside tumor nodules. However, there is limited knowledge of the radiation effects at the molecular level in spheroids of human origin. The present study is a presentation of selected cell biological processes that may easily be analyzed with methods available at routine pathology laboratories. Using gamma irradiated pancreatic neuroendocrine BON1 and colonic adenocarcinoma HCT116 spheroids as model systems, the present study assessed the radiobiological response in these models. Spheroid growth after irradiation was followed over time and molecular responses were subsequently assessed with immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining for descriptive analyses and semi-automatic grading of apoptosis, G₂-phase and senescence in thin sections of the spheroids. Growth studies demonstrated the BON1 spheroids were slower growing and less sensitive to radiation compared with the HCT116 spheroids. IHC staining for G₂-phase was primarily observed in the outer viable P-cell layers of the spheroids, with the 6 Gy irradiated HCT116 spheroids demonstrating a very clear increase in staining intensity compared with unirradiated spheroids. Apoptosis staining results indicated increased apoptosis with increasing radiation doses. No clear association between senescence and radiation exposure in the spheroids were observed. The present results demonstrate the feasibility of the use of multicellular spheroids of human origin in combination with IHC analyses to unravel radiobiological responses at a molecular level. The present findings inspire further investigations, including other relevant IHC-detectable molecular processes in time- and radiation dose-dependent settings.

Metastatic Colon Cancer to the Sphenoid Wing and Ethmoid Sinus Mimicking Orbital Cellulitis: A Rare Presentation

Metastatic lesions to the orbit are most commonly seen with breast, lung, and prostate cancer, but are less commonly seen with colon cancer. Furthermore, the presence of metastatic colon cancer involving the sphenoid wing has only been reported once previously. The authors present a case of a 68-year-old woman with right upper and lower eyelid edema and erythema along with decreased vision, relative afferent pupillary defect, limitation of extraocular movements, and chemosis suggestive of orbital cellulitis. Imaging revealed an erosive lesion of the sphenoid wing along with unilateral ethmoid sinusitis. Biopsies taken from both lesions revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma, consistent with colonic primary. The extensive inflammatory component of her disease required life-long high-dose steroids to maintain quiescence and preserve vision.