Ocular Melanoma (OM), also known as Uveal Melanoma, is the most common primary cancer of the eye in adults. Our patient population is unique in that our numbers are small with only an estimated 2,500 new diagnoses (US) per year. This alone has gained us “rare cancer status”.
The prognosis for those patients diagnosed with ocular melanoma can be dire. At this time, half of those diagnosed with OM will see their disease spread to other parts of the body. And, once metastasized, it is nearly always fatal. Currently there is no cure for metastatic ocular melanoma. There are, however, promising new treatments being prescribed, as well as new clinical trials and targeted therapies being proposed. These emerging treatment opportunities will only be made possible through research funding. Unfortunately, funding dollars are critically low. Grants for funding are rare and the competition is fierce. Therefore, we rely on private and corporate funding to fuel our programs and services.