Effect of Intravitreal Ranibizumab on Radiation Retinopathy Following Plaque Brachytherapy for Choroidal Melanoma

Following plaque brachytherapy as treatment for choroidal melanoma, patients may develop radiation retinopathy. Radiation retinopathy is a progressive condition that leads to blindness in over 50% of cases within 5 years of treatment.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein is believed to play a critical role in angiogenesis and radiation retinopathy. It is one of the key contributors to physiological or pathological conditions that can stimulate both the formation of new blood vessels and normal vessel incompetence. Ranibizumab is a recently approved vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor shown to be effective in treating exudative macular degeneration. Ranibizumab binds to and inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), which has been shown to cause neovascularization and leakage in models of ocular angiogenesis.

This is an open label, non-randomized active treatment, Phase I trial to assess the safety and tolerability of intravitreal ranibizumab and its ability to reduce radiation retinopathy and potentially limit vision loss associated with this disease.

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of radiation retinopathy
• History of choroidal melanoma status post plaque brachytherapy
• Age > 21 years
• Ability to perform written consent and comply with study assessments for the full duration of the study

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy or lactation, pre-menopausal women not using contraception
• Participation in another simultaneous medical investigation or trial
• Patient with significantly compromised visual acuity in the study eye due to concomitant ocular conditions.
• Patients who have undergone intraocular surgery within last 60 days.
• Patients who have had intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment within 45 days.
• Patients who have had intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide within 4 months.
• Patients who have had laser within 60 days.
• Inability to obtain photographs to document CNV (including difficulty with venous access).
• Patient has a history of any medical condition which would preclude scheduled visits or completion of study.
• Aphakia or absence of the posterior capsule in the study eye. Previous violation of the posterior capsule in the study eye is also excluded unless as a result of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) posterior capsulotomy in association with posterior chamber lens implantation..
• History of glaucoma filtering surgery in the study eye.
• Concurrent use of more than two therapies for glaucoma.
• Any other condition that the investigator believes would pose a significant hazard to the subject if the investigational therapy were initiated