Genetic Test for Eye Cancer

Ivanhoe Newswire
Monday, November 20, 2006; 6:08 AM

By Vivian Richardson, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new genetic test for eye cancers could allow doctors to tell patients whether they have a good chance of survival or if their cancer is the fast-spreading aggressive type, which could cause blindness and death within a year.

Doctors at the University of California, Los Angeles' Jules Stein Eye Institute developed a new technique to remove a sample of the eye cancer so it can be tested. If it's a type of ocular melanoma that's missing a copy of chromosome 3, the doctors know the cancer is much more likely to spread through out the body. Half of patients with this type of cancer die within five years.

However, if the test comes back showing the tumor is not missing the gene, the patient can be assured that their cancer only has between a 1 percent and 2 percent chance of spreading.

Tara Young, M.D., authored the study. She told Ivanhoe the test can give patients peace of mind or, if the news is bad, allow them to prepare for the future. The information gathered when the tumors are tested may also lead to new avenues of research, possible helping create more effective treatments for this cancer.

"By taking this one step further, there's a real opportunity to develop treatments for these people and maybe really do something for this cancer, as opposed to just continuing along the way we have been for the last several decades," Dr. Young said.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Tara Young, M.D., Ph.D., UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute in Los Angeles