Current Research

Research for eye cancer is ongoing. The following advances may still be under investigation in clinical trials and may not be approved or available at this time. Always discuss all diagnostic and treatment options with your doctor.

Genetics/tumor biology. As with other types of cancer, researchers are studying the genes and proteins that may be involved in the development of intraocular melanoma. These studies may eventually lead to better treatment options. Researchers are also looking for markers, or specific substances in the blood, that may tell the doctor if the tumor has spread to other parts of the body. Researchers are also performing biopsies on the tumors to help predict whether a specific tumor is likely to spread to other parts of the body.

Improving radiation therapy. Doctors are finding ways to make radiation therapy safer by reducing the side effects to the eye. These methods include adjusting the dose of radiation and finding better ways to direct radiation only at the tumor. Doctors are also experimenting with “sandwich therapy,” which is a combination of laser therapy and radiation disc therapy.

Biologic therapy. Biologic therapy is also called immunotherapy, which is designed to boost the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer. It uses materials either made by the body or in a laboratory to bolster, target, or restore immune system function. Several types of biologic therapies are being tested in clinical trials in people with advanced intraocular melanoma.

• Cancer vaccines are experimental treatments that stimulate the person’s own immune system to fight cancer. In one study, a vaccine that has been tested in people with cutaneous (skin) melanoma is being tested in people with intraocular melanoma. This vaccine is an adjuvant therapy, meaning it is given after other types of therapy. It may help the person’s immune system fight cancer and prevent the tumor’s spread to other areas of the body. Sometimes the vaccine is given with an immune system stimulant, such as GM-CSF (sargramostim).
  
  
• Monoclonal antibodies specifically target and kill cancer cells.

Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Systemic chemotherapy is delivered through the bloodstream, targeting cancer cells throughout the body. The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the individual and the dose used, but can include fatigue, risk of infection, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. These side effects usually go away once treatment is finished.

New types of chemotherapy are being tested in patients with advanced melanoma. Sometimes this is combined with new drugs that help shut off the blood supply to the tumor, called anti-angiogenesis drugs.

The medications used to treat cancer are continually being evaluated. Talking with your doctor is often the best way to learn about the medications prescribed for you, their purpose, and their potential side effects or interactions with other medications. Learn more about your prescriptions through Cancer.Net's Drug Information Resources, which provides links to searchable drug databases.

Treating liver metastases. Because intraocular melanoma commonly metastasizes to the liver, many people need treatment to the liver. A technique called chemoembolization allows doctors to separate the blood supply of the liver from the rest of the body and then deliver chemotherapy directly to the liver.