Of 227 cases of carcinoma metastatic to the eye or orbit, the predominant involvement was in the eye in 196 cases, the orbit in 28, and in the optic nerve in 3 cases. There was no preponderance of left-sided involvement. The primary sites accounting for the most cases were the breast (40%) and the lung (29%).
Of the 217 patients regarding whom follow-up information was obtainable, 192 were known to have died of metastatic tumor. The median survival was 7.4 months from the time of ocular/orbital operation.
Data are presented suggesting that, contrary to prevailing opinion, the most common malignant tumor of the eye is metastatic carcinoma, rather than primary uveal malignant melanoma.