Eye Cancer Diagnosis

Because the diagnosis depends on the doctor’s expertise, patients with suspected cases of eye cancer should work with an ophthalmologist (an M.D. specializing on the eye) who has been specialty trained in diagnosing cancers of the eyeball.

They may use the following tests and exams to diagnose cancer or monitor its progress during treatment.

Eye exams

Your ophthalmologist may perform a dilated retinal exam and ultrasound imaging to help diagnose tumors of the eyeball. For orbital, eyelid and conjunctival tumors you may undergo a careful inspection of the outside of the eye and eye movements.

Imaging exams

Imaging exams can help doctors identify the location, size and shape of suspected cancer tissue. Imaging tests used to diagnose eye cancer include:

• CT or CAT (computed axial tomography) scans: A CT scan uses an X-ray machine to take several pictures from different angles, providing a highly detailed image.
• PET scan: During a positron emission tomography scan, or PET scan, a small dose of radioactive sugar is injected into a patient. A scanner shows where the body distributes the sugar, allowing for the creation of an image. This image can help radiologists find cancer cells in the body.
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans: Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, uses magnetic fields and radio waves to generate pictures of the body’s soft tissue and organs.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT): An imaging exam used to look at the tumor in greater detail.
• Ultrasound: Ultrasound operates with high-energy sound waves that bounce off internal tissues and organs and produce echo patterns. The echo patterns create a picture referred to as a sonogram, which can be seen on an ultrasound machine.

Biopsy

During a biopsy, a small tissue sample is removed and examined under a microscope for the presence of cancer cells. Depending on tumor location, some biopsies can be done on an outpatient basis with only local anesthesia. Other times patients must undergo a surgical procedure under general anesthesia to retrieve cancer cells. Biopsies are used in limited circumstances to diagnose eye cancer.

Blood tests

Patients undergo blood testing to monitor how the body is responding to treatment.

Molecular diagnosis

Molecular diagnosis to look for specific mutation of tumor cells that help doctors understand the risk of metastasis or plan treatment.

DNA and/or genetic testing

These can be used to tell if the patient has an inherited form of eye cancer.