Share with others! EyeMelanoma.org quickly gets you to the info & resources you need.
Share with others! EyeMelanoma.org quickly gets you to the info & resources you need.
On this page, you will find links to the most current educational resources:
Diagnosis and Treatment Guides and Guidelines
Diagnosis
Treatment
Anatomy and Dictionaries
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 publishing 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 publishing 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 update.
United States:
>> A Cure In Sight's Guidance for Newly Diagnosed Ocular Melanoma Patients — Latest: Undated; ACIS' Guidance for Patients with Metastatic Ocular Melanoma — Latest update: Undated. [Webpage format with tabs to go to subsections]
>> American Cancer Society's Eye Cancer (Ocular Melanoma) Patient Guide — Latest update: May 2025. [Webpage format with PDF link at top right in each section for printing]
>> CURE OM's Ocular Melanoma Patient Guide — Latest update: 2019. [Online book format with print icon at bottom]
>> Melanoma Research Alliance's Guidance for Uveal Melanoma Patients — Latest update: Undated. [Webpage format]
>> National Cancer Institute's [Adult] Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma Treatment Guide — Patient Version — Latest update: February 2025. Also in Spanish — Latest update: May 2025. Also as a Health Professional Version — Latest update: May 2025. [Webpage format with print icon at top right]
>> National Cancer Institute's Childhood Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma Treatment Guide — Patient Version — Latest update: August 2021. (Based on their other later dates, this date may be incorrect on their website.) Also in Spanish — Latest update: March 2025. Also as a Health Professional Version — Latest update: August 2024. [Webpage format with print icon at top right]
Other Countries:
>> Cancer Council Australia's Patient Guide for Understanding Ocular (Uveal) Melanoma — Latest update: February 2021. [PDF format for printing]
>> Melanoma Canada's Patient Guide to Uveal Melanoma — Latest update: August 2023. [PDF format for printing]
>> Melanoma Focus' Uveal Melanoma Patient Guide [for United Kingdom] — Latest update: November 2023. [PDF format for printing]
>> Melanoma Institute Australia's Patient Guide on Early Ocular Melanoma — Latest update: July 2021; MIA's Patient Guide on Advanced Ocular Melanoma — Latest update: July 2022. [PDF format for printing]
>> Ocular Melanoma UK's Metastatic Uveal Melanoma Guide for Patients — Latest update: November 2024. [PDF format for printing]
Each of these Clinical Guidelines, written by and for physicians, may be updated periodically as determined by its development committee. The latest publication date is shown below. However, be sure to always look for the guideline's development period since, as a reminder, a guideline will not reflect any new medical advancements that have occurred since that time.
>> "Metastatic Uveal Melanoma Surveillance: A Delphi Panel Consensus"
Journal article published in December 2025
(UNITED STATES)
"This study aimed to develop expert consensus recommendations for surveillance strategies in patients with uveal melanoma. Methods: A modified Delphi method was conducted across three iterative survey rounds between September 2024 and February 2025 using an online platform. [41] Panelists included medical oncologists, ocular oncologists, radiologists, and surgical oncologists from North America."
>> "NCCN Guidelines for Melanoma: Uveal"
Online document published as Version 2.2025 update in November 2025
(UNITED STATES)
"The National Comprehensive Cancer Network's NCCN Guidelines are a statement of evidence and consensus of the authors [Uveal Melanoma Panel and Subcommittee members] regarding their views of currently accepted approaches to treatment."
Note: 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.
>> "Uveal Melanoma UK National Guidelines: 2023 Update"
Journal article published in August 2025
(UNITED KINGDOM)
"The guideline development group were selected to represent centres around the UK who specialise in the primary treatment of UM or in the treatment of patients with metastatic disease." [...] "The updated guideline was finalised in May 2022, with the surveillance guidelines added in November 2023. The final literature search conducted in September 2021, and the next formal review cycle is due in late 2026. In view of this, a list of notable clinical updates, published between September 2021 and March 2025, was collated which support the current guidelines."
>> "Management of Uveal Melanoma: Cancer Care Alberta Clinical Practice Guideline"
Journal article published in December 2023
(CANADA)
"In 2021, a multidisciplinary working group from the Provincial Cutaneous Tumour Team, Cancer Care Alberta, Alberta Health Services was convened to update the guideline. A comprehensive review of new research evidence in PubMed as well as new clinical practice guidelines from prominent oncology groups informed the update."
Related: "An Endorsement of the 2021 Cancer Care Alberta Clinical Practice Guideline on Uveal Melanoma"
Online document published in March 2024 (CANADA) by "The Uveal Melanoma Guideline Development Group of Cancer Care Ontario" with comments.
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
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).
"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).
Uveal Melanoma Tumor Testing
DecisionDx-UM (Uveal Melanoma 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 two additional uveal melanoma tests can be ordered and run with the above test using the same single biopsy:
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.)
Castle Biosciences (based in U.S.):
Their tests are further explained in a presentation by Castle Biosciences' Katherina Alsina, Ph.D. (pre-set to start at 3:30 timestamp; 20-minute video; December 2024 Ocumel Canada Symposium)
Impact Genetics (based in Canada):
Their test is further explained in a presentation by Impact Genetics' Certified Genetics Counselor Jamie Jessen (pre-set to start at 2:18:35 timestamp; 10-minute video; April 2023 Ocumel Canada Symposium)
"What To Know About Ocular Melanoma Biopsy" (80-minute video; Dr. Tara McCannel; June 2025; Presented by Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma)
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 have occurred after they are written/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 useful resources when 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 EyeMelanoma.org's Vision-Related Support webpage for recent resources on this topic.)
>> "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.
Videos created for ocular melanoma patients that explain the parts of the eye and where this eye cancer can develop:
Presenter: Guilherme Neri Pires, MD; June 2020; Presented by UM Cure 2020 Project (5-minute overview)
"Understanding the Anatomy of the Eye"
Presenter: Guilherme Neri Pires, MD; July 2019; Presented by Ocular Melanoma UK (40-minute presentation, including Q&A)
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.
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.
New information added to this webpage: January 23, 2026
All content and links to external sites re-verified on this webpage: January 19, 2026
Any Suggestions? Please Email: Erica@EyeMelanoma.org
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Focus Area: Ocular Melanoma Eye Cancer — Both Uveal Melanoma and Conjunctival Melanoma.
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