Cancer of the eye is rare. If you have been diagnosed with uveal melanoma, intraocular lymphoma, or another kind of eye cancer, you need a team of specialists with experience treating this rare disease who know how to treat your cancer using therapies based on the latest medical research. You can find that team at NewYork-Presbyterian. We do all we can to cure your cancer while aiming to save your eyesight whenever possible.
World-Recognized Leaders in Cancer Care
We are home to two of the nation's leading cancer centers: the National Cancer Institute-designated Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (one of only four comprehensive cancer centers in New York State) and the Weill Cornell Medicine Meyer Cancer Center in Partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian.
Your Customized Team
When you come to NewYork-Presbyterian for your care, we'll assemble the team of experts needed to treat your particular type and stage of eye cancer. Your team may include ophthalmologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, oncology nurses, social workers, and others with compassion and experience caring for people with eye cancer. Your team members collaborate to discuss your case and personalize a plan of treatment that meets your needs.
Comprehensive Eye Cancer Care
Our experts have experience treating all types of eye cancers, including:
- Uveal melanoma and other types of intraocular tumors—our melanoma care teams include world leaders in melanoma research and treatment, including novel targeted therapies.
- Ocular lymphoma—lymphoma arising around or in the eyeball, treated by our renowned lymphoma care teams.
- Orbital cancers—tumors affecting the tissues behind the eyeball.
- Adnexal cancers—cancers of the eyelids and tear glands, including skin cancer of the eyelid.
Treatment for Small Eye Cancers
We can treat some people with small eye tumors using a form of radiation therapy called brachytherapy (also known as plaque radiotherapy). For this procedure, your doctor places a small radioactive substance on the outside of your affected eye, over the area where the tumor is. This targeted radiation treatment is designed to kill eye cancer cells. We also use laser therapy to treat small eye cancers in some of our patients We are also the only center in New York that offer clinical trials for new therapies for treatment primary of uveal melanoma that are designed to preserve and save vision during treatment.
Surgery for Eye Tumors
Some eye tumors require surgical management. We have experienced surgeons that can do eye preserving surgical resections of intraocular tumors or eye removal if the eye cannot be saved. We use this approach when other treatment options are not likely to be effective. Our ophthalmologists are exceptionally skilled in many types of surgery and will let you know what to expect before, during, and after the procedure. We use surgery when necessary to remove tumors in any area around, on, or behind the eye, and within or on the eyelids.
Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapies
If your cancer has metastasized (spread to another part of your body), you may need systemic treatment. Your doctors will match you with the anticancer drugs shown to be most effective against your type of eye cancer. Our medical oncologists are pioneers in medical management of uveal melanoma, conducting some of the first clinical trial showing that the targeted therapy selumetinib, which blocks a protein called MEK, can slow the growth of metastatic uveal melanoma.
If your doctors recommend intravenous treatment, you can receive it in our modern infusion suites, where our oncology nurses monitor your treatment and ensure your comfort during your visit. We use chemotherapy when needed to treat different cancers that occur around the eye including intraocular lymphoma.
Eye Cancer Clinical Trials
The most promising treatments for eye cancers such as uveal melanoma are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. NewYork-Presbyterian has a robust portfolio of cancer clinical trials. Your doctor will let you know if you are eligible to participate in a clinical trial.
Supportive Care to Address All Your Needs
Our nutritionists, social workers, palliative care experts, and others will help you and your loved ones address the effects of cancer and its treatment —physical, emotional, and spiritual. We understand the burden that cancer can place on your life and the lives of your loved ones, and we do whatever we can to lessen that burden.
Specialists and Subspecialists in Every Area
NewYork-Presbyterian is known throughout the world as a leading health care provider. As a major medical center, we can address all of your healthcare needs, such as co-existing conditions like heart disease and diabetes, and connect you with the specialists you need to meet those needs.
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