OCULAR MELANOMA DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT INFORMATION

These guides, written for patients and their families, provide printable overviews on testing, diagnosis, and treatment of ocular melanoma — primary and/or metastatic. Their latest publication dates are shown.

Because patient guides cover not only medical topics but also helpful non-medical topics, they are shown here regardless of the latest publication date if they are still provided as an organization's primary reference document for patients. (EyeMelanoma.org normally removes medical information that is more than two years old.) Always remember that each patient guide will not reflect any new medical developments that have occurred since its latest publication date.

United States:

>>  American Cancer Society's Eye Cancer (Ocular Melanoma) Patient Guide — Latest: May 2025.

>>  CURE OM's Ocular Melanoma Patient Guide — Latest: 2019.

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

>>  National Cancer Institute's Childhood Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma Treatment Guide — Patient Version — Latest: August 2021. (Based on the other dates, this date may be incorrect on their website.) [Also in Spanish — Latest: March 2025. Also as a Health Professional Version — Latest: August 2024.]

Other Countries:

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

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

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

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

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

Always remember that each set of guidelines will not reflect any new medical developments that have occurred since its latest publication date.

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

NCCN requires free online registration the first time you try to 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: 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: 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."

These recent medical journal articles explain current and emerging treatment methods for uveal melanoma and conjunctival melanoma. Many presentations on EyeMelanoma.org's Videos and Conferences webpages also educate patients on treatments for ocular melanoma. (Always remember that none of these recent resources will reflect any new treatment developments that occur after they are published/presented. Also, consult your physician to learn if and how specific treatment options are relevant to your situation.)

EyeMelanoma.org's Clinical Trials Information webpage presents resources for searching for primary or metastatic ocular melanoma treatments in the clinical studies stage.

UVEAL MELANOMA

Overview of Uveal Melanoma Treatments — Primary and Metastatic:

>>  "Current Treatment of Uveal Melanoma"

Authors: Hanratty, Finegan, and Rochfort (Cancers, April 2025)

Overview of the Most Common Primary Uveal Melanoma Treatments:

>>  Eye Removal (Enucleation) and Prosthetics for Ocular Melanoma Patients  (This link will take you to the relevant resources for this topic on EyeMelanoma.org's Vision-Related Support webpage)

>>  "Plaque Radiotherapy [Brachytherapy] for Ocular Melanoma"

Authors: Thomas, Chou, and Gopal (Cancers, October 2024)

>>  "Proton [Beam] Therapy in Uveal Melanoma"

Authors: Chan, Lin, Yacoub, et al. (Cancers, October 2024)

CONJUNCTIVAL MELANOMA

Overview of Conjunctival Melanoma Treatments — Primary and Metastatic:

>>  "Emerging Techniques in the Treatment of Conjunctival Melanoma"

Authors: Li, Venkateswaran, Antonietti, et al. (Current Ophthalmology Reports, June 2025)

>>  "Conjunctival Melanoma: A Narrative Review of Current Knowledge"

Authors: Papaoikonomou, Pavlidis, Apalla, et al. (Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, March 2025)

These are the first and only metastatic uveal melanoma treatments approved by the FDA 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." Also: KIMMTRAK website and Kimmtrak Connect (their patient website).

>>  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." Also: HEPZATO KIT website and their patient section of website.

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