Treatment Options

Radiation therapy with either brachytherapy or PBI is the most common treatment for uveal melanoma. These therapies allow the patient to retain the eye and functional vision in most cases.

Plaque Brachytherapy 

With this technique, a gold plaque embedded with radioactive seeds is sewn onto the eye near the tumor. It is left in place for a few days and then removed. Typically, patients can leave the hospital during treatment and return for plaque removal. The procedure to place the plaque is performed in an operating room while the patient is under anesthesia. The plaque is then removed after 3-7 days. A lead eye covering is used to protect the eye during treatment and to limit the spread of radiation.

Proton beam Iraddiation (PBI)

PBI provides a precise form of radiation to the tumor and is especially effective when treating tumors located near critical structures, specifically the optic nerve and the macula. The first step consists of surgery in which tantalum markers are sewn onto the eye to aid in tumor localization during radiation therapy.

PBI treatments are painless and consist of five sessions that are scheduled over five consecutive days. Each radiation treatment lasts about one minute.

PBI Developed at Mass Eye and Ear 

PBI for uveal melanoma was developed by Dr. Evangelos Gragoudas and his colleagues at Mass Eye and Ear in collaboration with
scientists at Harvard University’s High Energy Physics Department and radiotherapists at Massachusetts General Hospital. It remains
one of the most effective therapies for treating intraocular tumors.