The upside of bathing in the summertime sun is the enjoyment, but the downside is that it can cause skin cancer. Little discussed until now, however, is that skin cancer can spread to the orbit and eye.

“Patients diagnosed with skin melanoma should seek an eye exam to see if it has metastasized to the orbit or eye,” said Paul T. Finger, MD, who co-authored a major review article titled “Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma Metastatic to the Eye, Lids and Orbit” in the May-June 2008 issue of the professional journal, Survey of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Finger, who is head of ocular cancer services at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, said, “Early recognition of metastasis to the eye offers the best chance to preserve a patient’s sight and quality of life.” Dr Finger added: “The best treatment is prevention, so use sun block cream for your skin and don’t forget sunglasses for your eyes.” Treatments for metastatic melanoma to the eye include radiation, excisions or resections, and systemic chemotherapy. While breast cancer and lung cancers account for more cases of cancer that metastasize to the eye, this is the first review of world literature on cutaneous melanoma cancer’s impact on the orbit and eye.

The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, the oldest specialty hospital in the Western Hemisphere, is an affiliated teaching hospital of the New York Medical College. It has approximately 142,000 outpatient visits annually and over 20,000 surgical procedures per year. It has one of the nation’s most extensive eye, ear, nose and throat clinics.

About Melanoma 

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 62,000 people will be diagnosed with the disease in 2008, and more than 8,000 will die of it. Cancer experts estimate that about ten percent of melanomas are associated with familial or inherited syndromes.

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