Use our new friend, Spot, to help children check their skin for new or unusual spot or lesions. This tool will help young people become aware of their skin and aware of melanoma.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor Primary UM Informed and empowered ocular melanoma patients live longer, better lives.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CARE TEAM
02 Medical Oncologist — A cancer doctor trained in treating cancer using chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and other systemic treatments. You may also meet with a medical oncologist if there is concern about spread of disease or to discuss clinical trial options. 03 Retina Specialist — An ophthalmologist with additional training in diagnosing and treating diseases of the retina and vitreous (the gel-like substance inside the eye). In UM, they may be involved in diagnosis, imaging and follow-up care.
You may work with several specialists during your uveal melanoma (UM) journey. Knowing who they are and what they do can help you choose the best fit for your care. 01 Ocular Oncologist — An eye doctor (ophthalmologist) with advanced fellowship training in diagnosing and treating eye cancers. They manage both the medical and surgical care of UM and work with pathologists to help guide diagnosis and treatment.
Find us online: melanoma.org Call us at: 202.347.9675
1420 K Street NW, 7th Floor Washington, DC 20005
QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT TREATMENT
• W hat treatment options do I have? How do they differ? • A re there treatments available at other centers that I should know about? • W hich treatment do you recommend for me, and why? • W hat types of radiation treatment do you offer? • H ow experienced are you with each treatment option? • H ow do outcomes vary between treatments? • W hat side effects might I expect, and when will they start? • H ow will my vision be affected in the treated eye? • Is eye removal (enucleation) an option, and when is it necessary? • If I lose vision, how quickly will it happen? Will it be painful? • Is there anything that can slow vision loss? • W ill I still be able to drive with vision in one eye? • W hat low vision services or resources are available in my state to help me adjust to vision changes? • W hat will vision loss look like — flashes of light, blind spots, or gradual fading? • W ill I be able to continue my daily activities? • S hould I get a second opinion? • A re there any treatments I should consider before my eye is treated (neoadjuvant trials)? • A re there any treatments I should consider after my eye is treated to help prevent the cancer from coming back (adjuvant trials)?
QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT YOUR DIAGNOSIS • W hat is uveal melanoma, and how is it different from skin (cutaneous) melanoma? • W hat are the size and dimensions of my tumor (diameter, height, thickness), and what do they mean for treatment options? • C an I have a copy of the report for my records? • W ill you do a biopsy of the tumor? Why or why not? – What information will it provide? – What are the risks? • D o you stage uveal melanoma like other cancers? If so, what is my stage? • W ill the tumor be tested for genetic mutations? Which ones, and how do they impact my treatment plan? • S hould I consider meeting with a genetic counselor? • H ow will you check if the cancer has spread? Where does UM typically spread? • H ow does the information from a biopsy help predict my risk of metastatic disease?
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Contact the CURE OM team at: cureom@melanoma.org
LAST UPDATED 9/2026 BY EXPERTS AND PATIENTS
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