Tertiary lymphoid structures in diseases: immune mechanisms and therapeutic advances
Early Detection Of Eye Cancer Critical For Successful Treatment
A graphic of the inner human eye. (Submitted photo)
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
This story first appeared in Healthy You - January 2025, The Gazette's quarterly health publication.
Beyond the eyeglasses she wore for computer work in her job as an accountant, Jen O'Halloran had no problem with her eyes when she went for an annual eye exam in March 2021.
"I had great vision at the time," O'Halloran recalled recently. "I didn't have any reason for worry or concern. She did that scan where they look at the back of your eye, at the optic nerve, and she saw a freckle. They can be really common, but sometimes they can be concerning. It appeared to be raised, which raises alarms for a tumor."
O'Halloran's optometrist first referred her to a retinal specialist for a closer look at her right eye.
"He almost positively thought it was eye melanoma," she said. "He told me there's few places in the country that address eye melanoma."
Cancers of the eye are exceedingly rare, and only a rare handful of cancer clinics in the nation are equipped to deal with them. Fortunately for O'Halloran, one of them is the University of Iowa's Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"That was huge, to know two hours away there's a place we could get to, have my appointment, and come home the same day," said O'Halloran, 50, of Des Moines.
O'Halloran's experience is typical of patients at the university, according to Dr. Asad Javed, Holden Center oncologist specializing in ocular cancer.
"There's two ways patients get diagnoses," Javed said. "One is during the routine eye exam they will find a growth on the inner surface of the eye. Or patients may present with vision changes. They'll see slowly deteriorating vision in one eye."
Those symptoms may include the occurrence of shadows, flashes of light, or "floaters," the wiggly lines across one's field of vision. Patients may also detect a growing dark patch on the eye or lump on the eyelid, or simple irritation. These symptoms can also be caused by minor eye conditions and are not necessarily a sign of cancer.
Cancers of the eye include several types that begin in the eyeball and the structures surrounding it. While relatively uncommon, an intraocular melanoma like O'Halloran's is the most common cancer affecting the eye.
"In the world of melanoma, it's the second most common after skin melanoma," Javed said. "More than 90 percent of the cases will be skin melanoma."
A melanoma in the eye differs significantly from the more common melanoma that can develop into skin cancer.
"Even though they begin from the same type of cell, they have different mutations, different characteristics," Javed said. "The treatments that work for skin melanoma don't work for eye melanoma, and that's why we have these specialized treatments."
About two weeks after her consultation with the retinal specialist, O'Halloran was referred to Holden and ophthalmologist Dr. Elaine Binkley.
"Eye melanoma's tricky, because you can't biopsy it like most cancers," Binkley said.
"Because the tumor is so small and it's in such a sensitive area of the eye, you don't need a biopsy," Javed said.
Instead, Binkley used an ultrasound scan of O'Halloran's retina.
"That's basically how they confirm it," O'Halloran said. "She took some more pictures and confirmed it was melanoma."
Once confirmed, the diagnosis left O'Halloran with three basic options:
The tumor was fairly close to the macula, the small area within the retina that processes central vision, color and fine detail. To protect the macula, Binkley and her staff placed a radioactive patch over O'Halloran's eye for five days.
"The type of radiation that is offered to the patient is highly localized," Javed said. "You're not radiating the whole eye; you're radiating the part of the eye that has the tumor."
The process required hospitalization for five days at the University of Iowa Hospitals.
"My husband could come up once a day and stay a few hours a certain distance from me, because I was considered radioactive," she said. "I can't say enough things about Dr. Binkley and her care and her team. She's amazing, just so talented and a great communicator."
O'Halloran also received injections to stimulate blood flow in the eye to maintain its sight. Her eye has responded to the treatment but will require enhanced monitoring. With another clean exam, she expects to go from twice-yearly monitoring to annual visits.
"They run some different scans and they do some eye ultrasounds," she said. "Dr. Binkley has been very positive. She says I've been doing better than most at this juncture."
"With a lot of cancers, follow-up is typically done for five years," Javed said. "In the case of eye melanoma, it's more long-term or even lifetime. Patients need to be seen and follow up with over much longer time periods."
That's to ensure the tumor doesn't metastasize, or spread elsewhere in the body.
"The tumor is dead," O'Halloran said. "The radiation did its job, so the tumor is just a lump of dead cells. But here's that risk of a rogue cell — did it travel in my body?"
O'Halloran continues to undergo regular MRIs of her liver, where such spread would first become apparent.
"I've been fortunate," she said. "Everything has been clear to date, and it hasn't spread."
Eye cancer's rarity makes it difficult to identify risk factors. Most ocular melanoma occurs in people over age 50, and race, light complexions and eye color may be a factor.
"Ninety-nine percent of ocular melanomas happen in patients of Caucasian descent," Javed said. "There is an association with light eye color. The incidence of eye melanoma increases as you go up north. The higher up in latitude you go, the higher the incidence."
Javed said medical literature shows an increased incidence of ocular cancers among professional welders, "but other than that, as far as environmental factors are concerned, there's no clear established link."
A family history of cancer or eye problems may be an indicator, but didn't apply in O'Halloran's case.
"They don't have a lot of data on what causes it," she said. "I have blond hair and blue eyes and a fair complexion, but they're not really sure if it's caused by sun exposure. The 'why' really still isn't answered and never will be, probably."
O'Halloran expects the central vision in the affected eye will continue to deteriorate.
"I can still see fairly well, but eventually it will become peripheral only," she said.
As with any cancer, early detection is critical to successful treatment. Her husband and two of their four children wear glasses, so the entire family goes for an annual eye exam with the added retinal scan.
"The sooner you have that information, the more you can do with it, as scary as it was at the time," she said. "Now I have my follow-up appointments, and I can just live. This was so random and so scary at the time — it still is."
Uveal Melanoma : 3D Models For Treating Aggressive Eye Cancer
Researchers are using 3D models to enhance the understanding and treatment of uveal melanoma, a rare eye cancer. Highlights:
Advertisement
What Is Uveal Melanoma? Uveal melanoma is a cancer that originates in the uvea, the middle layer of the eye. Although it is rare, it is the most common type of eye cancer in adults. Treating uveal melanoma can be quite difficult, and patients often have limited options if the cancer spreads beyond the eye. The outlook can be bleak, especially when metastasis occurs, highlighting the urgent need for new treatment strategies.Advertisement
How 3D Models Help in Research of Uveal Melanoma Conventional cancer research often relies on 2D cell cultures, which provide limited insights into how cancer behaves within the body. In contrast, 3D models of uveal melanoma replicate the tumor's natural environment, offering a more accurate way to study the disease. These models enable scientists to observe tumor growth, interactions with surrounding tissues, and responses to treatments. Researchers are optimistic that this approach will enhance our understanding of the disease and lead to innovative therapies that could significantly improve patient outcomes.Advertisement
Promising Insights for Treatment By employing 3D models, researchers can more effectively test potential treatments.Drug testing: Scientists can assess how various drugs impact the tumor in a controlled environment, leading to more precise predictions of treatment effectiveness.
Personalized medicine: With 3D models, treatments can be customized for individual patients, enhancing outcomes and minimizing side effects. This tailored approach is especially important for uveal melanoma, where standard treatments may not work for everyone.
This cutting-edge research is a critical step toward offering new hope for patients with this challenging form of cancer.
The development of 3D models represents a promising advance in the fight against uveal melanoma. Although more research is needed, this breakthrough could lead to improved treatments, giving patients and their families renewed hope. As scientists continue to explore the complexities of this disease, the potential for more effective therapies becomes increasingly tangible.
Science has opened a new window to understanding cancer—offering a clearer path toward saving sight and lives.
Reference:
Ocular Melanoma Market To Exhibit Moderate Growth Rate During The Forecast Period (2024-2034), Investigates Delveinsight
(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)
Ocular melanoma market Insights
DelveInsight's Ocular melanoma Market report offers an in-depth understanding of the epidemiology and market trends in the 7MM.
LAS VEGAS, NV, UNITED STATES, January 14, 2025 /EINPresswire / --The Ocular melanoma market is expected to surge due to the disease's increasing prevalence and awareness during the forecast period. Furthermore, launching various multiple-stage Ocular melanoma pipeline products will significantly revolutionize the Ocular melanoma market dynamics.
DelveInsight's"Ocular melanoma Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast-2034′′ report offers an in-depth understanding of the Ocular melanoma, historical and forecasted epidemiology as well as the Ocular melanoma market trends in the United States, EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and United Kingdom) and Japan.
The Ocular melanoma market report covers emerging drugs, current treatment practices, market share of the individual therapies, and current & forecasted market size from 2020 to 2034. It also evaluates the current treatment practice/algorithm, market drivers & barriers, and unmet medical needs to curate the best of the opportunities and assess the underlying potential of the market.
To Know in detail about the Ocular melanoma market outlook, drug uptake, treatment scenario and epidemiology trends, Click here; Ocular melanoma Market Forecast
Some of the key facts of the Ocular melanoma Market Report:.The Ocular melanoma market size is anticipated to grow with a significant CAGR during the study period (2020-2034).In September 2024, Aura recently shared the final results from Phase II trials of bel-sar, a first-line treatment for early-stage choroidal melanoma, a type of ocular melanoma affecting the inner eye (also known as uveal melanoma). Choroidal melanoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that poses significant threats to both vision and life. Radiation treatment for this condition leads to over 85% irreversible vision loss and other severe comorbidities..As per Ahmad et al. (2021), the overall age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of Ocular melanoma in Germany was 6.41 person per million.According to a study by Vidal et al. (2020), in Spain, the incidence of Ocular melanoma ranges from 5.3 to 10.9 cases per million inhabitants per year.According to Shields et al. (2017), in USA, metastasis of Ocular melanoma at 5 and 10 years was 4% and 7% for iris melanoma, 19% and 33% for ciliary body melanoma, and 15% and 25% for choroidal melanoma, respectively.Key Ocular melanoma Companies: Delcath System, Aura Biosciences, Seagen, IDEAYA, Ascentage Pharma, and others.Key Ocular melanoma Therapies: Melphalan, AU-011 (bezupacap sarotalocan), SEA-CD40, IDE 196 (darovasertib), APG-115, and others
Ocular melanoma OverviewOcular melanoma, also known as uveal melanoma, is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that originates in the melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) of the eye, typically within the uvea, which includes the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. It is the most common primary malignant eye tumor in adults. Ocular melanoma can cause symptoms such as vision changes, flashes of light, or dark spots in the visual field, but often, it is asymptomatic in the early stages. The condition can metastasize to other parts of the body, particularly the liver, and requires prompt diagnosis and treatment, which may include surgery, radiation therapy, or targeted therapies.
Get a Free sample for the Ocular melanoma Market Report -
Ocular melanoma MarketThe dynamics of the Ocular melanoma market are anticipated to change in the coming years owing to the expected launch of emerging therapies and others during the forecasted period 2020-2034.
Ocular melanoma EpidemiologyThe epidemiology section provides insights into the historical, current, and forecasted epidemiology trends in the seven major countries (7MM) from 2020 to 2034. It helps to recognize the causes of current and forecasted trends by exploring numerous studies and views of key opinion leaders. The epidemiology section also provides a detailed analysis of the diagnosed patient pool and future trends.
Ocular melanoma Epidemiology Segmentation:The Ocular melanoma market report proffers epidemiological analysis for the study period 2020–2034 in the 7MM segmented into:.Total Prevalence of Ocular melanoma.Prevalent Cases of Ocular melanoma by severity.Gender-specific Prevalence of Ocular melanoma.Diagnosed Cases of Episodic and Chronic Ocular melanoma
Download the report to understand which factors are driving Ocular melanoma epidemiology trends @ Ocular melanoma Epidemiological Insights
Ocular melanoma Drugs Uptake and Pipeline Development ActivitiesThe drugs uptake section focuses on the rate of uptake of the potential drugs recently launched in the Ocular melanoma market or expected to get launched during the study period. The analysis covers Ocular melanoma market uptake by drugs, patient uptake by therapies, and sales of each drug.Moreover, the therapeutics assessment section helps understand the drugs with the most rapid uptake and the reasons behind the maximal use of the drugs. Additionally, it compares the drugs based on market share.The report also covers the Ocular melanoma Pipeline Development Activities. It provides valuable insights about different therapeutic candidates in various stages and the key companies involved in developing targeted therapeutics. It also analyzes recent developments such as collaborations, acquisitions, mergers, licensing patent details, and other information for emerging therapies.
Ocular melanoma Therapies and Key Companies.Melphalan: Delcath System.AU-011 (bezupacap sarotalocan): Aura Biosciences.SEA-CD40: Seagen.IDE 196 (darovasertib): IDEAYA.APG-115: Ascentage Pharma
Ocular melanoma Market Strengths.Increasing incidence of the disease might help the companies with their clinical trials
Ocular melanoma Market Opportunities.Currently, only one approved drug is available for the treatment of metastatic Ocular melanoma
Scope of the Ocular melanoma Market Report.Study Period: 2020–2034.Coverage: 7MM [The United States, EU5 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), and Japan].Key Ocular melanoma Companies: Delcath System, Aura Biosciences, Seagen, IDEAYA, Ascentage Pharma, and others.Key Ocular melanoma Therapies: Melphalan, AU-011 (bezupacap sarotalocan), SEA-CD40, IDE 196 (darovasertib), APG-115, and others.Ocular melanoma Therapeutic Assessment: Ocular melanoma current marketed and Ocular melanoma emerging therapies.Ocular melanoma Market Dynamics: Ocular melanoma market drivers and Ocular melanoma market barriers.Competitive Intelligence Analysis: SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Porter's five forces, BCG Matrix, Market entry strategies.Ocular melanoma Unmet Needs, KOL's views, Analyst's views, Ocular melanoma Market Access and Reimbursement
Discover more about therapies set to grab major Ocular melanoma market share @ Ocular melanoma Treatment Landscape
Table of Contents1. Ocular melanoma Market Report Introduction2. Executive Summary for Ocular melanoma3. SWOT analysis of Ocular melanoma4. Ocular melanoma Patient Share (%) Overview at a Glance5. Ocular melanoma Market Overview at a Glance6. Ocular melanoma Disease Background and Overview7. Ocular melanoma Epidemiology and Patient Population8. Country-Specific Patient Population of Ocular melanoma9. Ocular melanoma Current Treatment and Medical Practices10. Ocular melanoma Unmet Needs11. Ocular melanoma Emerging Therapies12. Ocular melanoma Market Outlook13. Country-Wise Ocular melanoma Market Analysis (2020–2034)14. Ocular melanoma Market Access and Reimbursement of Therapies15. Ocular melanoma Market Drivers16. Ocular melanoma Market Barriers17. Ocular melanoma Appendix18. Ocular melanoma Report Methodology19. DelveInsight Capabilities20. Disclaimer21. About DelveInsight
About DelveInsightDelveInsight is a leading Healthcare Business Consultant, and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports Pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance.It also offers Healthcare Consulting Services, which benefits in market analysis to accelerate the business growth and overcome challenges with a practical approach.
Gaurav BoraDelveInsight Business Research+1 469-945-7679email us here
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
MENAFN14012025003118003196ID1109090493
Comments
Post a Comment