Purpose: To report an unusual case of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) metastatic to the lungs and retina. To our knowledge, this is the first report of retinal metastasis from NPC.
Design: Observational case report.
Methods: We studied the case of a 15-year-old boy who had been recently diagnosed with metastatic NPC and was referred for evaluation of a suspicious retinal lesion in the right eye.
Results: Clinical examination and fundus photography showed an amelanotic, 1-disk-area infiltration in the retina along the inferotemporal arcade that was suggestive of metastatic disease. The lesion was small and irregularly shaped by echographic examination, and a nodular area of retinal thickening was seen by optical coherence tomography. Pathologic analysis of lung biopsy and nasopharynx biopsy specimens revealed undifferentiated NPC.
Conclusions: Retinal metastases need to be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with NPC and vision changes.