Ophthalmic Tumours

1. Introductory Notes

Tumours of the eye and its adnexa are a disparate group including carcinoma, melanoma, sarcomas, and retinoblastoma. For clinical convenience they are classified in one section.

The following sites are included:

• Eyelid (eyelid melanoma is classified with skin tumours)
• Carcinoma of Conjunctiva
• Malignant Melanoma of Conjunctiva
• Uvea
• Retina
• Orbit
• Lacrimal gland

For histological nomenclature and diagnostic criteria, reference to the WHO histological classification (Campbell, RJ: Histological typing of tumours of the eye and its adnexa, 2nd ed. Springer, Berlin, 1998) is recommended.

Each tumour type is described under the following headings:

• Rules for classification with the procedures for assessing the T, N, and M categories
  
• Anatomical sites where appropriate
  
• Definition of the regional lymph nodes
  
• TNM Clinical classification
  
• pTNM Pathological classification
  
• G Histopathological grading where applicable
  
• Stage grouping where applicable
  
• Summary
  

2. Regional Lymph Nodes

The definitions of N categories for ophthalmic tumours are:

NX. Regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed
N0. No regional lymph node metastasis
N1. Regional lymph node metastasis

3. Distant Metastasis

The definitions of the M categories for ophthalmic tumours are:

MX. Distant metastasis cannot be assessed
M0. No distant metastasis
M1. Distant metastasis

The categories M1 and pM1 may be further specified according to the following notation:

Pulmonary PUL Bone marrow MAR Osseous OSS Pleura PLE Hepatic HEP Peritoneum PER Brain BRA Adrenals ADR Lymph nodes LYM Skin SKI Others OTH

4. G Histopathological Grading

The following definitions of the G categories apply to carcinoma of the eyelid and conjunctiva and sarcoma of the orbit. These are:

GX. Grade of differentiation cannot be assessed
G1. Well differentiated
G2. Moderately differentiated
G3. Poorly differentiated
G4. Undifferentiated

5. R Classification

The absence or presence of residual tumour after treatment is described by the symbol R. The definitions of the R classification apply to all ophthalmic tumours. These are:

RX. Presence of residual tumour cannot be assessed
R0. No residual tumour
R1. Microscopic residual tumour
R2. Macroscopic residual tumour

See also: Additional site-specific explanatory notes