Ocular Melanoma Treatment

We care for dozens of ocular melanoma patients each year, whereas most community cancer centers may only treat a handful. Our experience, along with our unparalleled research program, is why eye doctors all over the region refer patients to us for ocular melanoma treatment.

As soon as our ophthalmologists confirm your ocular melanoma diagnosis, we’ll begin treatment planning right away. A team of eye cancer experts, including your ocular oncologist, pathologist and radiation oncologist, will work together to decide which ocular melanoma treatment options are best for your cancer. They’ll take into account your age, health, vision, cancer type and location to match you with a treatment plan that will give you the best chance of curing your disease while also preserving your vision. In some cases, that means enrolling you in a clinical trial.

As Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winship researchers are pioneers in cancer treatment. In fact, the only drug that’s currently FDA-approved to treat ocular melanoma metastasis came out of a clinical trial that was performed at Winship, meaning our patients were some of the first to benefit. In other words, we can offer you access to the latest ocular melanoma treatments you won’t find at other cancer centers.

Although primary treatment may be successful, monitoring for systemic metastases is lifelong as the cancer can show up in other parts of the body even when the cancer in the eye is well treated.

At Winship, we offer the most comprehensive array of ocular melanoma treatment options in Georgia, and the expertise to know which treatments will work best for your individual cancer. Based on your unique cancer, your treatment plan may include:

Radiation Therapy

Most patients with ocular melanoma will be treated with a radioactive plaque, a form of radiation therapy. Once your Emory Eye Center ophthalmologist takes precise measurements of your eye and cancer using the latest ultrasound technology, Winship’s radiation oncologists will create a plate (called a plaque) that’s then embedded with radioactive seeds. Your eye doctor will then surgically attach the plaque to your eye near the cancer and leave it in place for up to a week while it delivers a powerful dose of radiation directly to the cancer cells.

Surgery

Sometimes, eye cancers aren’t discovered until they’ve become quite large. Patients with ocular melanomas measuring greater than 22 millimeters in diameter may undergo surgery to remove the melanoma and a portion of healthy tissue around it or to have the eye removed, a procedure known as enucleation.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy involves using extreme cold and, in some cases, may be used to destroy melanoma cells in the eye.

Immunotherapy

This treatment, which uses medication to help your body’s immune system better recognize and attack abnormal cells, is used to treat ocular melanoma that’s spread beyond the eye. Emory pioneered the use of tebentafusp, the only immunotherapy drug currently FDA-approved for the treatment of metastatic ocular melanoma. As such, Winship medical oncologists have more experience using tebentafusp for the treatment of eye cancer than anywhere else in the region.

Winship is Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and we participate in hundreds of clinical trials each year. In fact, many of the drugs used to treat cancer today came out of clinical trials performed at Winship, which means our patients were some of the first to benefit. In other words, we can offer you access to the latest eye cancer treatment you won’t find at other cancer centers.

At Winship, we are committed to delivering the most effective ocular melanoma treatment with the fewest possible side effects. We know that coping with your disease and the side effects of treatment can be challenging. That’s why we assure our patients that we’ll be with you every step of the way.

Our supportive oncology team of specialized doctors and nurses is ready to assist you with the physical, psychological and emotional aspects of living with ocular melanoma, including symptom management and counseling. This team — with the help of counselors, nurse navigators, dietitians and social service professionals — will be with you every step of the way, supporting you throughout your cancer experience.