In the online journal PLOS Currents: Evidence on Genomic Tests, the DecisionDx-UM molecular test was cited as the most accurate prognostic factor for individualizing care for uveal melanoma patients. “… the DecisionDx-UM gene expression profile test is a stand-alone platform which requires no other information for maximal prognostic accuracy and which circumvents many of the drawbacks of chromosomal methods…” DecisionDx-UM groups patients into high- and low-risk categories and is being used to better determine follow-up care.
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If you’ve been diagnosed with uveal (ocular) melanoma, one of the most pressing questions is your prognosis, or odds of survival. In up to 50% of uveal melanoma patients, the cancer may spread to the liver, where it is usually fatal. However, a new experimental treatment, meant to starve the liver tumor and help the body’s own immune system fight the cancer, may have the potential to impact survival. To view Margot Kim’s full report
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Dr. J. William Harbour is the ocular oncologist who developed DecisionDx-UM, the first and only validated prognostic test for uveal, or ocular, melanoma. The test predicts with a very high degree of accuracy which uveal tumors will likely spread–and thus ultimately prove fatal–and which will not, a valuable tool for guiding clinical treatment. He has been the principal investigator on major research grants from the National Cancer Institute, National Eye Institute, Melanoma Research Foundation, Melanoma
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CBS News Sunday Morning, December 2, 2012 | In this feature, reporter Tracy Smith provides an in-depth review of recent advances in the field of prognostic testing. Using DecisionDx-UM as a prime example, she explores the pressing question, “Would you want to know?” Patients told CBS that it was valuable to know their odds of survival for a variety of reasons, including life-planning purposes and peace of mind. Dr. Scott Gaines, a Class II patient himself, says knowing his prognosis has changed how he’s living his life.
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By Gina Kolata, The New York Times, July 10, 2012 | In May 2011, Cassandra Caton, an 18-year-old with honey-colored hair and the soft features of a child, suddenly went blind in her right eye. Five months later, an ophthalmologist noticed something disturbing. A large growth in the back of her eye had ripped her retina, destroying her vision. He sent her to Washington University in St. Louis, a three-hour drive from her sparsely furnished apartment in the working-class town of Sedalia, Mo. And there, Ms. Caton, mother
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