Nayak B, Mohapatra PR, Chakraborty K, Nanda J, Haripriya S, Mantha SP, Sethy M, Panda BB. Are iris masses in lung carcinoma always a metastasis: Two case reports. World J Methodol 2026; 16(1): 112458 [DOI: 10.5662/wjm.v16.i1.112458]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Bijnya Birajita Panda, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS Road, Patrapada, Sijua, Bhubaneswar 751019, Odisha, India. bigyan_panda@yahoo.co.in
Research Domain of This Article
Ophthalmology
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Case Report
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mar 20, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 10, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Methodology
ISSN
2222-0682
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Nayak B, Mohapatra PR, Chakraborty K, Nanda J, Haripriya S, Mantha SP, Sethy M, Panda BB. Are iris masses in lung carcinoma always a metastasis: Two case reports. World J Methodol 2026; 16(1): 112458 [DOI: 10.5662/wjm.v16.i1.112458]
Bhagabat Nayak, Koyel Chakraborty, Jayadev Nanda, Shri Haripriya, Bijnya Birajita Panda, Department of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneshwar 751019, Odisha, India
Prasanta Raghab Mohapatra, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneshwar 751019, Odisha, India
Satya Padmaja Mantha, Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneshwar 751019, Odisha, India
Madhusmita Sethy, Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneshwar 751019, Odisha, India
Author contributions: Nayak B, Mohapatra PR, Chakraborty K, Nanda J, Mantha SP, Sethy M contributed to manuscript writing and editing, and data collection; Nayak B, Chakraborty K, Nanda J, Haripriya S, Panda BB contributed to data analysis; Nayak B, Mohapatra PR contributed to conceptualization and supervision; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bijnya Birajita Panda, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS Road, Patrapada, Sijua, Bhubaneswar 751019, Odisha, India. bigyan_panda@yahoo.co.in
Received: July 28, 2025 Revised: September 1, 2025 Accepted: November 14, 2025 Published online: March 20, 2026 Processing time: 197 Days and 20.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) constitutes about 15% of lung cancers and is an aggressive disease with uveal metastasis. An isolated iris lesion in such patients may or may not be a manifestation of disseminated disease. We report two cases – one patient with SCLC and another with non-small cell lung cancer, each with varied presentation.
CASE SUMMARY
The first case was a 49-year-old female who presented with redness in the left eye. She was a known case of SCLC with multi-organ involvement. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/100. Slit-lamp bio-microscopy showed an iris mass with neovascularization. Cytology from anterior chamber paracentesis was suggestive of malignancy. Subsequently she received whole-brain radiotherapy followed by six cycles of platinum doublet chemotherapy. On follow-up, the iris lesion subsided with BCVA of 20/50. The second case was a 54-year-old female with lung adenocarcinoma and brain metastasis. She presented with pain and redness in the right eye (BCVA 20/200). Slit lamp bio-microscopy showed multiple iris nodules in the affected eye. Trabeculectomy was done due to raised intraocular pressure (IOP). Aqueous tap and tissue biopsy for cytology and histopathology respectively, were negative for secondaries. Postoperatively, BCVA improved to 20/70, with an IOP of 12 mmHg and resolution of the nodules.
CONCLUSION
Iris lesions in lung carcinoma patients may not necessarily be metastases. Sometimes they can be reactive nodules mimicking secondaries.
Core Tip: Though iris metastasis is rare in cases of systemic malignancies, a relatively rich vascular supply of uveal tissue makes it vulnerable compared to other ocular structures. Iris masses are often unilateral, may be painful and are vision-threatening. The lesion can be single or multiple, usually well-defined, inducing anterior chamber reaction leading to secondary glaucoma. With treatment advances like platinum doublet chemotherapy and targeted therapy for specific mutations, the disease progression can be arrested with alleviation of symptoms. However, some cases may require surgical intervention to manage the complications.
