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So I have a somewhat small melanoma on my retina that my doctor has been keeping an eye on for a few years now, but with my last visit she decided it's grown enough to treat. My options are basically to remove the eye, or surgery to put a radiation patch on it for a week or so to kill it. A third option is a clinical trial for a drug that binds to the tumor cells then they hit it with a laser to kill it, but it's only been done a handful of times on humans.
Like any treatment, they all have their pros/cons. I'm 43 and hopefully have many years ahead of me. The best chance to keep vision in the eye is the clinical trial, with the worst being removal of course. Radiation is going to cause vision loss due to damage to the healthy tissue but I'd probably maintain peripheral vision.
I keep going back and forth on this, one day I woke up feeling like radiation was the way to go. The next I felt like the clinical trial. Today I'm feeling like removal of the eye is best. If this cancer metastasis to the liver or lungs it's almost certain death, so I have to do something soon. What would you do?
I'm so sorry, especially that you have the burden of trying to decide what to do. Personally, I'd have the eye removed without hesitation. That may sound extreme, but here's the cold hard truth: you can see better from one eye than you can from a casket.
Some years ago I had a wonderful young dog who developed a malignant tumor in his eye. I wanted it removed ASAP but the canine opthamologist wanted to try another treatment first. By the time the doctor realized the treatment was having no effect on the tumor's growth and did remove the eye, the cancer had metastacized to his liver and he died an unpleasant death.
So I have a somewhat small melanoma on my retina that my doctor has been keeping an eye on for a few years now, but with my last visit she decided it's grown enough to treat. My options are basically to remove the eye, or surgery to put a radiation patch on it for a week or so to kill it. A third option is a clinical trial for a drug that binds to the tumor cells then they hit it with a laser to kill it, but it's only been done a handful of times on humans.
Like any treatment, they all have their pros/cons. I'm 43 and hopefully have many years ahead of me. The best chance to keep vision in the eye is the clinical trial, with the worst being removal of course. Radiation is going to cause vision loss due to damage to the healthy tissue but I'd probably maintain peripheral vision.
I keep going back and forth on this, one day I woke up feeling like radiation was the way to go. The next I felt like the clinical trial. Today I'm feeling like removal of the eye is best. If this cancer metastasis to the liver or lungs it's almost certain death, so I have to do something soon. What would you do?
This is strictly my personal opinion, so you can take it for what it's worth. You already know that the radiation treatment is going to destroy at least part of your vision in that eye. Is the radiation guaranteed to kill ALL of the melanoma? If not, and possible metastasis to the liver or lungs would lead to almost certain death, I personally would choose removal of the eye. The clinical drug trial simply would be a non-starter for a number of reasons (for me), lack of a large statistical history being the primary one.
I know one person, my uncle, who had an eye removed due to a detached retina and lead a perfectly normal life for many years afterwards. Your risks in removal of the eye or not are MUCH greater. I am simply giving you a personal perspective, and I wish you the best in making this extremely difficult choice.
A terrible choice to make OP! I am sorry to hear it.
I think I agree with B above. You would still have good vision in your other eye and its known that people compensate for a lost eye quite well. That may be worth avoiding the risks of keeping the compromised eye. Good luck with a very hard decision.
So I have a somewhat small melanoma on my retina that my doctor has been keeping an eye on for a few years now, but with my last visit she decided it's grown enough to treat. My options are basically to remove the eye, or surgery to put a radiation patch on it for a week or so to kill it. A third option is a clinical trial for a drug that binds to the tumor cells then they hit it with a laser to kill it, but it's only been done a handful of times on humans.
Like any treatment, they all have their pros/cons. I'm 43 and hopefully have many years ahead of me. The best chance to keep vision in the eye is the clinical trial, with the worst being removal of course. Radiation is going to cause vision loss due to damage to the healthy tissue but I'd probably maintain peripheral vision.
I keep going back and forth on this, one day I woke up feeling like radiation was the way to go. The next I felt like the clinical trial. Today I'm feeling like removal of the eye is best. If this cancer metastasis to the liver or lungs it's almost certain death, so I have to do something soon. What would you do?
I'm not an expert on cancer, but wouldn't the closest metastasis be to the brain? That would be very bad.
I really think you should find an opinion elsewhere. Maybe post this on the cancer forums. There's worldwide participation and it is possible and even likely someone has/had the same scenario.
I was reading a story previously about a man who had a similar condition and they kept diagnosing it as a vision problem until it was too late. So, you are fortunate there.
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