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EyeMelanoma.org

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OCULAR MELANOMA DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT INFORMATION

  On this page, you will find links to many educational resources:


  • Ocular Melanoma Guides for Patients
  • Uveal Melanoma Clinical Guidelines
  • U.S. FDA-Approved Treatments for Metastases
  • Imaging Tests for Diagnosing and Monitoring Ocular Melanoma
  • Genomic Tests for Uveal Melanoma
  • Ocular Melanoma and Eye Anatomy
  • Dictionaries for Cancer-Related Words and Drugs

Ocular Melanoma Guides for Patients

Because patient guides cover a variety of medical and non-medical topics and are infrequently produced, they are provided here regardless of the date if they are still an organization's primary reference document. (Normally, EyeMelanoma.org removes medical presentations, videos, and journal articles that are older than two years to keep educational material current.)


However, it bears emphasizing that the medical-related information found within these guides — just like any non-current OM information provided on any webpage on the internet — will not reflect any new developments that have occurred since the time of its latest publication.


                                            ________________


These guides, written for patients and their families, provide printable overviews on testing, diagnosis, and treatment of ocular melanoma — primary and/or metastatic. The date of last revision is shown.


>>  American Cancer Society's Ocular Melanoma Guide — Revision dates of subsections vary, with PDF version showing updates from 2018 to as recently as 2024.


>>  CURE OM's Ocular Melanoma Patient Guide — 2019 (undated on publication; no revisions).


>>  National Cancer Institute's [Adult] Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma Treatment Guide — Patient Version — February 2025. [Also in Spanish. Also as a Health Professional Version.]


>>  National Cancer Institute's Childhood Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma Treatment Guide — Patient Version — August 2021. [Also in Spanish. Also as a Health Professional Version.]



Other Countries:


>>  Cancer Council Australia's Guide for Understanding Ocular (Uveal) Melanoma — February 2021.


>>  Melanoma Canada's Guide to Uveal Melanoma — August 2023.


>>  Melanoma Focus' Uveal Melanoma Guide [for United Kingdom] — November 2023.


>>  Melanoma Institute Australia's Patient Guide on Early Ocular Melanoma — July 2021; and MIA's Patient Guide on Advanced Ocular Melanoma — July 2022.


>>  Ocular Melanoma UK's Metastatic Uveal Melanoma Guide — November 2024.

Uveal Melanoma Clinical Guidelines

>>  "NCCN Guidelines for Melanoma: Uveal" (Latest Update: Version 1.2025 in February 2025) — National Comprehensive Cancer Network (United States) 


NCCN requires free online registration the first time you access these guidelines. Select 'create account' at the bottom of their log-in box.


"The National Comprehensive Cancer Network is a not-for-profit alliance of 33 leading cancer centers [in the United States] devoted to patient care, research, and education.  [...] NCCN Guidelines document evidence-based, consensus-driven management to ensure that all patients receive preventive, diagnostic, treatment, and supportive services that are most likely to lead to optimal outcomes. [...] The intent of the NCCN Guidelines is to assist in the decision-making process of individuals involved in cancer care — including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, payers, patients, and their families."



>>  "Uveal Melanoma UK National Guidelines" (Latest Update: November 2023) — Uveal Melanoma Guideline Development Group (United Kingdom)


"The Uveal Melanoma UK National Guidelines have recommended standards of care for all of our patients across the UK. These updated guidelines include recent advances in our understanding of the distinct biology of this disease, assess the evidence for recent improvements in care, and have a renewed focus on patient experience. [...] The development group is from fields of medical oncology, clinical oncology, radiology, pathology, uveal melanoma science, and patient representation."



>>  "Management of Uveal Melanoma: Cancer Care Alberta Clinical Practice Guideline" (Latest Update: December 2023) — Cancer Care Alberta (Canada)


"The purpose of this guideline update is to reassess and update recommendations in the prior guideline from 2016 on the appropriate management of patients with uveal melanoma. [...] An enhancement in methodology included adding levels of evidence and strength of recommendations. [...] The recommendations represent evidence-based standards of care agreed to by a large multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals."

U.S. FDA-Approved Treatments for Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

These are the first and only treatments approved by the FDA for ocular melanoma to date:


>>  FDA Announcement: "On January 25, 2022, the [U.S.] Food and Drug Administration approved tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak, Immunocore Limited), a bispecific gp100 peptide-HLA-directed CD3 T cell engager, for HLA-A*02:01-positive adult patients with unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma." KIMMTRAK website and their "Considering KIMMTRAK" brochure (Sept. 2024).


>>  FDA Announcement: "On August 14, 2023, the [U.S.] Food and Drug Administration approved HEPZATO KIT (melphalan for Injection/Hepatic Delivery System) containing melphalan (HEPZATO, Delcath Systems, Inc.) as a liver-directed treatment for adult patients with uveal melanoma with unresectable hepatic metastases affecting less than 50% of the liver." HEPZATO KIT website and their FAQs.


See EyeMelanoma.org's Clinical Trials Information webpage for ocular melanoma treatments in the clinical studies stage.

Imaging Tests for Diagnosing and Monitoring OM

Imaging Tests for Primary or Metastatic Ocular Melanoma

Imaging Tests for Primary or Metastatic Ocular Melanoma

Imaging Tests for Primary or Metastatic Ocular Melanoma

Tests that may be conducted during eye exams for primary ocular melanoma or separately to check for possible metastases in other parts of the body:


Explanations from American Cancer Society


Explanations from Cancer Research UK

Understanding Eye Imaging Tests (Video)

Imaging Tests for Primary or Metastatic Ocular Melanoma

Imaging Tests for Primary or Metastatic Ocular Melanoma

Learn about the role of each eye imaging test: "1) at baseline to aid in diagnosis, identify risk factors for malignant transformation, and provide measurements for treatment planning, and 2) at follow-up to assess treatment response, identify recurrence, and detect treatable complications." View video. (Dr. Heinrich Heimann, OcuMel UK webinar, 30 minutes, September 2021).

Understanding Eye Imaging Tests (Podcast Episode)

Imaging Tests for Primary or Metastatic Ocular Melanoma

Understanding Eye Imaging Tests (Podcast Episode)

"Imaging tests are a key part of your care. Learn about how we use ultrasonography, the different types of color photography, how fluorescein angiography works and how it is used, and the OCT (optical coherence tomography) test." Listen to podcast episode. (Dr. Tara McCannel; Finding Your Way With Ocular Melanoma Podcast, 35 minutes, February 2025).

Genomic Tests for Uveal Melanoma

Performed by Castle Biosciences

Performed by Castle Biosciences

Performed by Castle Biosciences

Uveal Melanoma Tumor Testing

DecisionDx-UM (Gene Expression Profile) Test — "Enables accurate determination of metastatic risk in uveal melanoma. The test identifies the molecular signature of an individual’s tumor and its likelihood of metastasis within 5 years. Specifically, the assay determines the activity or 'expression' of 15 genes which indicate a patient’s individual risk, or class." 

(IMPORTANT: If you are interested in this test, you must inform your ocular oncologist for planning purposes. For this test, the tumor biopsy must be done BEFORE any radiation therapy.)


These additional uveal melanoma tests can be ordered and run with the above test using the same single biopsy:

  • .DecisionDx-PRAME Test 
  • DecisionDx-UMSeq (Gene Sequencing Panel) Test

Performed by Impact Genetics

Performed by Castle Biosciences

Performed by Castle Biosciences

Uveal Melanoma Tumor Testing

Uveal Melanoma Prognostic Genetic Test — "Multiple methods of testing are used to detect specific genetic abnormalities in eye tumour cells which can indicate the chance that the cancer will spread to other parts of the body." 

(IMPORTANT: If you are interested in this test, you must inform your ocular oncologist for planning purposes. For this test, the tumor biopsy can be done BEFORE any radiation therapy but might not be able to be done after it.)


Additional Information

Conducting Ocular Melanoma Tumor Biopsies

Conducting Ocular Melanoma Tumor Biopsies

 Castle Biosciences (U.S.) :

Their tests are further explained in a presentation by Castle Biosciences' Katherina Alsina, Ph.D. (3:30 timestamp start; 20-minute video; December 2024 Ocumel Canada Symposium)


Impact Genetics (Canada):

Their test is further explained in a presentation by Impact Genetics' Certified Genetics Counselor Jamie Jessen (2:18:30 timestamp start; 10-minute video; April 2023 Ocumel Canada Symposium)

Conducting Ocular Melanoma Tumor Biopsies

Conducting Ocular Melanoma Tumor Biopsies

Conducting Ocular Melanoma Tumor Biopsies

 "Tumor Biopsy — Why Get a Biopsy in Ocular Melanoma" (June 2024); "Tumor Biopsy — Biopsy Techniques and Safety" (June 2024); and "Why Aren't All Ocular Oncologists Offering Prognostic Biopsy?" (November 2024) —  20-minute episodes by Dr. Tara McCannel; Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma Podcast


"Ocular Melanoma Prognostic Testing of the Eye"  (55-minute video; Dr. Basil Williams; August 2023; Presented by A Cure in Sight and Castle Biosciences)

Ocular Melanoma and Eye Anatomy

 Videos explaining the parts of the eye and where ocular melanoma can develop:


"Basic Anatomy of the Eye"  (5-minute overview)

Presenter: Guilherme Neri Pires, MD; June 2020; Presented by UM Cure 2020 Project


"Understanding the Anatomy of the Eye"  (40-minute presentation, including Q&A)

Presenter: Guilherme Neri Pires, MD; July 2019; Presented by OcuMel UK

Dictionaries for Cancer-Related Words and Drugs

Cancer-Related Terminology

Cancer-Related Terminology

Cancer-Related Terminology

 The Dictionary of Cancer Terms database contains more than 9,000 "cancer and biomedical terms defined in non-technical language." Pronunciation of each term is also provided. (Also available in Spanish.) From the National Cancer Institute.

Access Here

Cancer-Related Drugs

Cancer-Related Terminology

Cancer-Related Terminology

The Drug Dictionary database contains "technical definitions and synonyms for drugs/agents used to treat patients with cancer. Each drug entry includes links to check for clinical trials." From the National Cancer Institute.

Access Here

 New information added to this webpage: March 28, 2025

 Links to all external sites re-verified on this webpage: February 17, 2025

 Any Feedback? Please Email: Erica@EyeMelanoma.org 

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