Ocular Melanoma Outcomes

First, it’s difficult to see in a snapshot, but ocular melanoma outcomes are improving every day, thanks to new treatment options, including therapies being developed and tested right here at Emory Eye Center and Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Second, eye cancer survival rates are highly individualized, so averages tend to be misleading. Your chances of survival depend greatly on your specific cancer and where you go for diagnosis and treatment.

Winship Cancer Institute, Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, works closely with Emory Eye Center as leaders in eye cancer treatment and research. Together, we develop and deliver the latest, most effective ocular melanoma treatments with the fewest side effects. As a result, our outcomes — including survival rates, recurrence rates and life expectancy — are better than most other cancer centers in the U.S.

Winship is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Georgia. Comprehensive Cancer Centers must meet rigorous standards that prove they have state-of-the-art facilities, offer cutting-edge treatments, deliver breakthrough research and conduct lifesaving clinical trials.

Because NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers like Winship represent the most innovative cancer centers in the nation, it’s no surprise they also have the best survival rates. Research shows survival rates are up to 25% higher when starting treatment at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Researchers attribute these higher survival rates to excellent multidisciplinary care, guideline compliance, access to clinical trials and team approaches to treatment planning, all of which are paramount at Winship.

At Winship, we’re dedicated to offering the longest-lasting treatment options and optimal post-treatment follow-up care. While many patients with ocular melanoma will go into remission following treatment and never have a recurrence, others will experience metastasis, when the cancer spreads to another body part, most often the liver. Knowing this, at Winship we consider treatment outcomes and recurrence rates from your very first visit.

Our teams will analyze your specific eye cancer and the genomic components driving it to help determine your eye melanoma prognosis and which treatment is most likely to ensure the best possible outcome for you. Once you’ve completed treatment here, we will continue to follow up with you for at least five years to ensure you remain cancer-free and assist you with the management of any long-term side effects.

When it comes to ocular melanoma outcomes, it’s important to consider quality of life and the side effects associated with cancer treatment. At Winship, we’ll provide you with the most powerful and precise treatments available with the least adverse side effects. We’ll closely monitor your overall health throughout your experience and address your symptoms every step of the way. It’s a part of your treatment plan we take very seriously. And we’ll work with you on coping with the psychological and emotional aspects of cancer treatment, for as long as you need us.