Purpose: To report the efficacy of intravitreal chemotherapy for primary intraocular lymphoma (PIOL).
Methods: Retrospective, noncomparative interventional case reports are presented for six patients (ten eyes; mean age, 58.8 years) with pathologically confirmed PIOL who participated in this study and were treated at our hospital with intravitreal injections of methotrexate (MTX) between January 2004 and February 2007. Intravitreal injections of MTX (400 microg MTX/50 microl Opeguard-MA) were administered once or twice weekly for 1 month followed by ten monthly injections. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-6 were measured in the vitreous before and after injections to determine tumor activity.
Results: All eyes were clinically cleared of malignant cells. One eye lost vision. After intravitreal chemotherapy, the vitreous IL-10 concentration reached barely detectable levels.
Conclusions: Intravitreal chemotherapy achieves clinical remission and preserves vision in patients with PIOL.