Treatment of Melanoma Eye Cancer

The type of treatment that will be recommended by a doctor is determined by type of eye cancer, tumor size, and spreading rate. The overall age and health of the patient also have a major effect on the type of treatment.

The patient's healing rate is also influenced by these factors, as well as whether melanoma eye cancer has recurrent or not. The level of malignancy of the cancer also affects the possibility of healing the patient so that sometimes doctors need to do eye tissue biopsy in order to know the condition of cancer.

Some methods of treatment of melanoma eye cancer that can be done, among others:

Surgery. Through this procedure, the doctor will remove the tissue melanoma in the eye. Surgery is done depending on the size and symptoms of cancer caused. If the cancer is small, surgery only removes the cancerous tissue and few healthy tissue around the cancer. Surgery may be iridectomy or choroidectomy. Especially for large cancers, surgery is done to lift the entire eyeball (enukleasi). On the part of the eye whose eyeballs have been lifted can be planted a false eyeball (prosthetic) as a substitute of the previous eyeball.

Radiotherapy. Through radiotherapy, the doctor will fire a high-energy radiation beam into the cancerous tissue. Radiotherapy is usually used for moderate-sized eye cancer. The source of the radiation beam may come from the radiation plate attached to the eye (brachytherapy) temporarily or from a machine that fires a beam of radiation directly into the eye (external radiation).

Cryotherapy. This is a method of treating eye cancer by freezing the cancer tissue so it breaks and dies.

Laser therapy. This therapy is done by using special frequency beam. One such example is thermotherapy that treats melanoma eye cancer by using infrared rays. Laser therapy can be combined also with other treatments, especially radiotherapy.

Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy to treat melanoma eye cancer is done by using drugs to kill cancer cells. However, chemotherapy is rarely used to treat eye cancer.

Opportunities for melanoma eye cancer patients to recover depend on the level of malignancy and size of the cancer. If the cancer is still small or medium, 70-80 percent of people who suffer can still live up to 5 years after diagnosis.

Complications of Melanoma Eye Cancer

If not treated properly, melanoma eye cancer can lead to dangerous complications for patients such as:

Increased eye fluid pressure (glaucoma). Glaucoma can occur when melanoma eye cancer grows and results in increased pressure inside the eye bota and damage the eye nerve. Pain and redness in the eyes are a symptom of glaucoma. Glaucoma is also characterized by deteriorating or blurred vision.

The spread of cancer. Untreated eye cancer melanoma can spread (metastasize) to other body parts, such as the liver, bone, lungs, and brain.

Blindness. Eye cancer melanomas, especially large ones, can cause retinal detachment and blindness. However, even small cancers can also cause blindness if it occurs in the eye area that is important for vision.