Question: What are the treatments for Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma ?
Answer: Key Points - There are different types of treatments for patients with intraocular melanoma. - Five types of standard treatment are used: - Surgery - Watchful Waiting - Radiation therapy - Photocoagulation - Thermotherapy - New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials. - Treatment for intraocular (uveal) melanoma may cause side effects. - Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. - Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment. - Follow-up tests may be needed. There are different types of treatments for patients with intraocular melanoma. Different types of treatments are available for patients with intraocular melanoma. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment. Five types of standard treatment are used: Surgery Surgery is the most common treatment for intraocular melanoma. The following types of surgery may be used: - Resection: Surgery to remove the tumor and a small amount of healthy tissue around it. - Enucleation: Surgery to remove the eye and part of the optic nerve. This is done if vision cannot be saved and the tumor is large, has spread to the optic nerve, or causes high pressure inside the eye. After surgery, the patient is usually fitted for an artificial eye to match the size and color of the other eye. - Exenteration: Surgery to remove the eye and eyelid, and muscles, nerves, and fat in the eye socket. After surgery, the patient may be fitted for an artificial eye to match the size and color of the other eye or a facial prosthesis. Watchful Waiting Watchful waiting is closely monitoring a patients condition without giving any treatment until signs or symptoms appear or change. Pictures are taken over time to keep track of changes in the size of the tumor and how fast it is growing. Watchful waiting is used for patients who do not have signs or symptoms and the tumor is not growing. It is also used when the tumor is in the only eye with useful vision. Radiation therapy Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy: - External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Certain ways of giving radiation therapy can help keep radiation from damaging nearby healthy tissue. These types of external radiation therapy include the following: - Charged-particle external beam radiation therapy is a type of external-beam radiation therapy. A special radiation therapy machine aims tiny, invisible particles, called protons or helium ions, at the cancer cells to kill them with little damage to nearby normal tissues. Charged-particle radiation therapy uses a different type of radiation than the x-ray type of radiation therapy. - Gamma Knife therapy is a type of stereotactic radiosurgery used for some melanomas. This treatment can be given in one treatment. It aims tightly focused gamma rays directly at the tumor so there is little damage to healthy tissue. Gamma Knife therapy does not use a knife to remove the tumor and is not an operation. - Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. Certain ways of giving radiation therapy can help keep radiation from damaging healthy tissue. This type of internal radiation therapy may include the following: - Localized plaque radiation therapy is a type of internal radiation therapy that may be used for tumors of the eye. Radioactive seeds are attached to one side of a disk, called a plaque, and placed directly on the outside wall of the eye near the tumor. The side of the plaque with the seeds on it faces the eyeball, aiming radiation at the tumor. The plaque helps protect other nearby tissue from the radiation. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. External and internal radiation therapy are used to treat intraocular melanoma. Photocoagulation Photocoagulation is a procedure that uses laser light to destroy blood vessels that bring nutrients to the tumor, causing the tumor cells to die. Photocoagulation may be used to treat small tumors. This is also called light coagulation. Thermotherapy Thermotherapy is the use of heat from a laser to destroy cancer cells and shrink the tumor. New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials. Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website. Treatment for intraocular (uveal) melanoma may cause side effects. For information about side effects caused by treatment for cancer, see our Side Effects page. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment. Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment. Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward. Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment. Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment. Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. See the Treatment Options section that follows for links to current treatment clinical trials. These have been retrieved from NCI's listing of clinical trials. Follow-up tests may be needed. Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the stage of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests. Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups. Treatment Options for Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma Iris Melanoma Treatment of iris melanoma may include the following: - Watchful waiting. - Surgery (resection or enucleation). - Plaque radiation therapy, for tumors that cannot be removed by surgery. Check the list of NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with iris melanoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. Talk with your doctor about clinical trials that may be right for you. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website. Ciliary Body Melanoma Treatment of tumors in the ciliary body and choroid may include the following: - Plaque radiation therapy. - Charged-particle external-beam radiation therapy. - Surgery (resection or enucleation). Check the list of NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with ciliary body and choroid melanoma, small size. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. Talk with your doctor about clinical trials that may be right for you. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website. Choroid Melanoma Treatment of small choroid melanoma may include the following: - Watchful waiting. - Plaque radiation therapy. - Charged-particle external-beam radiation therapy. - Gamma Knife therapy. - Thermotherapy. - Surgery (resection or enucleation). Treatment of medium choroid melanoma may include the following: - Plaque radiation therapy with or without photocoagulation or thermotherapy. - Charged-particle external-beam radiation therapy. - Surgery (resection or enucleation). Treatment of large choroid melanoma may include the following: - Enucleation when the tumor is too large for treatments that save the eye. Check the list of NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with ciliary body and choroid melanoma, small size. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. Talk with your doctor about clinical trials that may be right for you. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website. Extraocular Extension Melanoma and Metastatic Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma Treatment of extraocular extension melanoma that has spread to the bone around the eye may include the following: - Surgery (exenteration). - A clinical trial. An effective treatment for metastatic intraocular melanoma has not been found. A clinical trial may be a treatment option. Talk with your doctor about your treatment options. Check the list of NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with extraocular extension melanoma and metastatic intraocular melanoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. Talk with your doctor about clinical trials that may be right for you. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website. Recurrent Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma An effective treatment for recurrent intraocular melanoma has not been found. A clinical trial may be a treatment option. Talk with your doctor about your treatment options. Check the list of NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with recurrent intraocular melanoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. Talk with your doctor about clinical trials that may be right for you. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website.