UVA Health first in Virginia to offer new treatment for uveal melanoma

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - UVA Health is the first hospital in Virginia to offer a new treatment for uveal melanoma, a cancer that begins in the eye and in many cases can spread to the liver.

“We know we can’t cure cancer in this setting, but we can get a response within the liver and help people live a longer and hopefully better quality of life,” said Dr. Daniel Sheeran, an interventional radiologist at UVA Health.

Doctors say limited options exist to treat the tumor. The new team-based care approach targets treatment directly to the liver, and works to offer patients a chemotherapeutic approach to care.

“We’re able to isolate the blood flow to the liver to allow us to deliver the medication, and then we also isolate the blood flow out of the liver to then filter the medication and return the blood to the body,” said Dr. Sheeran.

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