Locoregional management of hepatic metastasis from primary uveal melanoma

Abstract

Uveal melanoma is the most common primary ocular malignancy in adults and has a significant predilection for metastasis to the liver. Despite successful treatment of the primary uveal melanoma, up to 50% of patients will subsequently develop a systemic metastasis, with the liver involved in up to 90% of these individuals. Metastatic uveal melanoma has proven to be resistant to currently available systemic chemotherapies. Recognition of the poor prognosis associated with liver metastasis has led to the evaluation of various locoregional treatment modalities primarily designed to control tumor progression in the liver, including surgical resection, hepatic arterial chemotherapy, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), immunoembolization, radiosphere, drug-eluting beads, isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP), and percutaneous hepatic perfusion. This article reviews the efficacies, and morbidities of currently available locoregional therapies.