Severe retinopathy following radiation therapy with a moderate dose for orbital mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma

Abstract

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a radiosensitive malignancy. We report on a case of severe retinopathy following radiation therapy with a moderate dose for orbital MALT lymphoma. A 69-year-old woman with orbital MALT lymphoma received definitive radiation therapy with a total dose of 36 Gy in 18 fractions. The patient showed complete response but had severe retinopathy along with marked deterioration in visual acuity at 2 years after irradiation. Although the patient underwent treatments for retinopathy, including laser photocoagulation and steroid injection, improvement of the visual acuity was modest. This case developed severe radiation-induced retinopathy after radiation therapy with the moderate dose of 36 Gy that is considered to be usually safe.

Keywords: mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma; orbital lymphoma; radiation therapy; retinopathy; visual acuity.