Thanks to the efforts of Vincent Ma, MD, assistant professor, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, the UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center has begun using Hepzato, a promising new treatment for a form of eye cancer called uveal melanoma.

The most common type of eye cancer in adults, uveal melanoma has a low chance of responding to standard treatment and a short overall survival rate—especially when it spreads to the liver, which is the most common location for the disease to recur.

In March 2024, Dr. Ma introduced Hepzato at Carbone Cancer Center, where he oversees a variety of clinical trials for skin and uveal melanomas.

In this treatment, an interventional radiologist delivers a chemotherapy drug, melphalan, directly into the hepatic (liver) artery of patients whose uveal melanoma has only spread to their liver.

“Learning how and why treatments like Hepzato leads to an improved response in uveal melanoma is an exciting area to further investigate,” Dr. Ma said. “It is a stepping stone towards developing more treatment options of this rare disease."

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Banner: Dr. Vincent Ma. Credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine.