Tapioca Melanoma of the Iris: A Case Report.

PURPOSE: To report an extremely rare case of tapioca melanoma of the iris in an Iranian patient.

CASE REPORT: A 50-year-old male patient presented with ocular pain and redness in the right eye for two weeks. The visual acuity was 7/10 and the intraocular pressure (IOP) was 30 mmHg. A lobulated amelanotic vascularized and nodular (tapioca-like) iris mass with a 180 o extent was seen in the right eye. Incisional biopsy of the mass revealed atypical mixed type (epithelioid and spindle cell) melanoma. Brachytherapy with the ruthenium-106 plaque resulted in complete regression of the tumor.

CONCLUSION

Tapioca melanoma of the iris should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with nodular vascularized amelanotic iris mass and elevated IOP. Brachytherapy with ruthenium-106 seems to be an effective treatment for tapioca melanoma of the iris.