A Swedish woman had to have her entire eye removed after complaints that a foreign body in her left eye turned out to be a rare type of skin cancer.
Tears-inducing photos show an unsightly lump on her eyelid that turned out to be the disease.
The 81-year-old woman had a rare subtype of melanoma, a type of skin cancer that can rarely develop in the eye.
Cases of skin cancer of the eye are incredibly rare, occurring in only one in two million people per year.
But the elderly Swedish woman was even more unfortunate: her skin cancer was particularly difficult to detect due to her lack of pigmentation.
Medically, these cancers are known as amelanotic and are… It only occurs in one in 10 cases of melanoma.
Swedish doctors also described another shocking case of the disease, this time in a 50-year-old woman. The images show the dramatic growth of the lesion that turned out to be cancer.
It is usually detected in later and more severe stages.
The elderly Swedish woman, whose name has not been released, was treated by ophthalmologists at Skaraborg Hospital for swollen eyelids and a sensation of having a foreign body, such as dirt, in her eye.
However, despite being prescribed medication to reduce the swelling, she was still experiencing problems a few weeks later.
This prompted a closer examination of his eye where a tumor-like growth was found on the inside of his eyelid.
Biopsies were taken and revealed that this growth was an amelanotic melanoma on the eye.
The doctors, who detailed the case in the Journal of medical case reportsHe then ordered detailed scans of the patient’s eye, neck and head to check whether the cancer had spread to other nearby tissues.
Unfortunately, the images showed a potential tumor growing inside the eye itself, specifically within the muscles that help the organ move from side to side.
Doctors recommended that the patient have his eye removed, as there was no way to remove the tumors and keep the eye intact.
They reported that the surgery was successful and that the primary tumor on the inside of the eyelid measured 13 mm wide and 7 mm deep.
Unlike the 81-year-old woman, she did not have to have her entire eye removed, as laboratory tests revealed that the tumor was, in fact, cancerous. These images show the difference before surgery (left), after the operation (center) and six months later (right).
Doctors said that nine months after the operation, the patient was doing well, with no further signs of cancer, and was using a replacement prosthesis.
Swedish doctors also detailed another alarming case of the disease, this time in a 50-year-old woman in 2022.
The woman had had an injury to her left eye that was causing her discomfort for a few months before she sought help from her GP.
Her family doctor referred her to ophthalmologists, who reported she had a 2mm by 4.8mm lesion and scheduled her for more detailed tests.
Doctors did not specify how long the woman waited to undergo these tests, but said that when she returned she found that the lesion had grown dramatically to 4 mm by 5 mm.
She had been scheduled for surgery to remove what doctors now suspected was amelanotic skin cancer from her eye and the operation was successful.
Unlike the 81-year-old woman, she did not need to have her entire eye removed, but laboratory analysis revealed the growth was a cancerous tumor.
He underwent preventative radiotherapy in order to eliminate any remaining traces of the cancer.
Eye cancers of any kind are rare, with only about 900 cases diagnosed each year in the UK. File image
Fortunately, subsequent tests found no traces of the disease, although the woman will need to undergo annual check-ups to detect cancer for the rest of her life.
In concluding their report, the experts said that the rarity of this type of tumor makes research into its treatment and prevention difficult.
They added that this rarity means that both patients and doctors can mistake them for non-cancerous conditions, a factor that can delay diagnosis.
British charity Cancer Research UK describes melanoma of the eye as “extremely rare” and its treatment is mainly a combination of surgery and radiotherapy, which uses radiation to kill cancer cells or potential cancer cells.
Eye cancers of all types are rare, with only about 900 cases diagnosed each year in the UK.
Approximately two in five patients die within 10 years of diagnosis, with about 130 deaths per year.
