OCULAR MELANOMA DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT INFORMATION

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.

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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.

>>  "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."

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.