Radiation was effective in a case of metastatic carcinoma of the iris

A 72-year-old female presented with lacrimation and hyperemia in the left eye. She had been diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma of lung 3 months before. Two grayish-white tumors were present on the iris in the affected eye. Squamous carcinoma cells were detected in the aspirated aqueous. No fundus lesions were present. Radiation totalling of 30 Gy led to complete regression of the iris tumor in 3 weeks. The patient died 3 months later from metastasis to the brain. A review of 38 reported cases of iris metastatic tumor, including the present one, showed a mean life expectancy of 4.1 months. A proper therapeutic approach will have to be chosen on the basis of quality of life in these patients.