Ocular melanoma

Title

Categories:

Rare Cancers

Summary Summary

Ocular melanoma (OM) is a cancer in pigment-producing cells of the eye called melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the pigment melanin that colors the skin, hair, and eyes, as well as forms moles. There are four tissues in the eye in which melanoma can develop: the uveal tract (uvea); conjunctiva; eyelid; and orbit. The uvea - the middle layer within the eye - is divided into three main parts: the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. Uveal melanoma, also called intraocular melanoma, is the most common ocular melanoma. Conjunctival melanoma manifests on the surface of the eye and has been increasing in incidence. Eyelid and primary orbital melanoma are the least common variants.^[1]

Last updated: 1/14/2013

Treatment Treatment

FDA-Approved Treatments

The medication(s) listed below have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as orphan products for treatment of this condition. Learn more orphan products.

Aldesleukin (Brand name: Proleukin) - Manufactured by Novartis
FDA-approved indication: Treatment of adults with metastatic melanoma.

Research Research

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are studying or have studied Ocular melanoma. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.
The Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study or COMS for short, is a set of clinical trials designed to evaluate the treatments doctors use for their patients with choroidal melanoma. COMS clinical trials are funded by the National Eye Institute and the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and are being conducted at more than 40 medical centers in the United States and Canada.

Organizations Organizations

Nonprofit support and advocacy groups bring together patients, families, medical professionals, and researchers. These groups often raise awareness, provide support, and develop patient-centered information. Many are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct people to research, resources, and services. Many groups also have experts who serve as medical advisors. Visit their website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD. Suggest an organization to add.

Organizations Supporting this Disease

Ocular Melanoma Foundation
P.O. Box 29261
Richmond, VA 23242-0261
E-mail: http://www.ocularmelanoma.org/contact-us.htm#
Website: http://www.ocularmelanoma.org/home.htm#

Social Networking Websites

The Ocular Melanoma Foundation Patient Forum is an interactive social network for patients, family members and health care providers to interact with one another. Click on the link to read more about this forum.

Living With Living With

Living with a genetic or rare disease can impact the daily lives of patients and families. These resources can help families navigate various aspects of living with a rare disease.

Financial Resources

Good Days provides help to patients with life-altering conditions. Assistance includes help with the cost of medications and travel.
The HealthWell Foundation provides financial assistance for underinsured patients living with chronic and life-altering conditions. They offer help with drug copayments, deductibles, and health insurance premiums for patients with specific diseases. The disease fund status can change over time, so you may need to check back if funds are not currently available.
The Social Security Administration has included this condition in their Compassionate Allowances Initiative. This initiative speeds up the processing of disability claims for applicants with certain medical conditions that cause severe disability. More information about Compassionate Allowances and applying for Social Security disability is available online.
The Assistance Fund provides various services, including education and financial aid, to help patients with a chronic or serious illness cover the cost of FDA-approved medications. Patients must be U.S citizens or permanent residents.

Learn More Learn More

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

MedlinePlus was designed by the National Library of Medicine to help you research your health questions, and it provides more information about this topic.
The National Cancer Institute provides the most current information on cancer for patients, health professionals, and the general public.

In-Depth Information

The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.

News & Events News & Events

NCATS Co-Sponsored Conferences

18th Annual Meeting of the PanAmerican Society of Pigment Cell Research Sunday, September 8, 2013 - Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Location: Fluno Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Description: The meeting is expected to enhance and benefit, by bringing together a relatively small group of scientists, the knowledge, collegiality, collaboration, and synergy within the pigment cell research community. More importantly, the meeting serves to encourage and support young investigators in their careers.

Contact: Hung Tseng, Ph.D., (301) 496-0810, tsengh@mail.nih.gov

Co-funding Institute(s): National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Office of Rare Diseases Research
Overcoming Barriers to International Clinical Trials for Rare Cancers Friday, December 10, 2010
Location: Bethesda, Maryland
Description: The goals of this conference were to introduce key institutional players to the topic of international clinical trials in rare cancers and to establish an ongoing dialogue. Participants left the meeting with a set of specific priorities that need to be enacted to promote these trials. The meeting promoted consensus on the way that resources are prioritized to address rare cancers. Participants were asked to convey the content of the meeting to their constituencies and to follow up with pilot concepts.

Contact: Jack Welch, M.D., Ph.D., jack.welch@nih.govjack.welch@nih.gov

Co-funding Institute(s): National Cancer Institute, Office of Rare Diseases Research
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