Tumor and Blood Testing in Uveal Melanoma
Once uveal melanoma (UM) is diagnosed, several items should be discussed with your treatment team that will help everyone learn more about your specific diagnosis. While treating the primary eye tumor remains the most important clinical issue, determining a patient’s risk for developing metastatic disease is also important.
Common Genetic Tests in UM
Healthcare providers can determine a patient’s risk for metastatic disease based upon the size and location of the tumor. From a biopsy , they can also test the genes in the tumor itself to help determine the risk of cancer recurrence and metastasis . The results of these tests can help your treatment team develop
an appropriate and individualized surveillance plan and, if necessary, a treatment plan.
Timing is critical because:
These genetic tests must be performed on a biopsy sample of the tumor. The biopsy sample must be taken before the tumor is treated with radiation therapy (including plaque brachytherapy or proton beam therapy).
Two different types of genetic testing may be performed: 1 CHROMOSOME ANALYSIS (KARYOTYPING)
Abnormalities in chromosomes 1, 3, 6 and 8 may indicate an increased risk of uveal melanoma metastasis. About half of UM tumors will show an alteration of chromosome 3 and metastatic UM occurs almost exclusively in patients with a loss of chromosome 3 (monosomy 3). These changes can be detected by several laboratory methods, including karyotyping and other specialized genetic tests.
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