Blood Vessel Patterns in Small Choroidal Tumors

Uveal melanomas are melanocytic tumors that arise in the pigmented tissues of the eye: the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. Iris melanomas rarely metastasize (spread to other tissues or organs). In contrast, uveal melanomas arising in the ciliary body and choroid are highly malignant (cancerous and invasive to other tissues or organs). Despite having excellent local tumor control rates, uveal melanoma remains a life-threatening cancer, and even eye-sparing therapy with radiation treatment often leads to significant loss of vision. Therefore patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma must cope with not only a life-threatening illness, but also the frightening prospect of significant vision loss. Choroidal melanomas located in the posterior pole, an anatomical area of the eye which includes the optic nerve and macula (central retina), are of particular concern with regards to visual outcome, as radiation treatment to these areas for even the smallest of tumors is often associated with severe vision loss. The accurate diagnosis and treatment of small choroidal melanomas is critical to patient survival. When tumors with metastatic potential are recognized and treated at an early stage, survival prognosis improves dramatically.

The purpose of this study is to learn if malignant (life-threatening) choroidal tumors versus benign (non-life-threatening) tumors will show distinct blood vessel patterns using functional optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography. Angiography is the mapping of blood vessels. The investigators believe that OCT angiography can provide data which may help in identifying life-threatening tumors at the earliest stages and improve overall survival for patients with this type of melanoma.