Ocular Oncology and Treatments

Ocular oncology investigates tumors that arise in and around the eye, with uveal melanoma and retinoblastoma representing the most clinically significant diagnoses in adults and children, respectively. Because the eye's immune-privileged environment and rich vascular supply create unusual conditions for tumor growth and spread, cancers here can behave quite differently from their counterparts elsewhere in the body — uveal melanoma, for instance, metastasizes almost exclusively to the liver despite sharing genetic features with cutaneous melanoma. Treatment has advanced considerably, with radiation therapy, intraocular chemotherapy, and globe-sparing surgical techniques now allowing many patients to retain useful vision, yet metastatic uveal melanoma remains largely resistant to systemic therapy and carries a poor prognosis. Active research is focused on identifying the genetic mutations and prognostic markers — including chromosome 3 loss and BAP1 alterations — that predict which tumors will disseminate, with the aim of enabling earlier intervention and better-targeted treatment.

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56,307

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667,711

Keywords

Uveal MelanomaRetinoblastomaOcular Surface NeoplasiaMetastatic DiseaseChoroidal MelanomaGenetic Mutations