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November 18, 2010 > Genetic basis of common eye cancer identified
Adriana Heguy, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘86-‘88) of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and international colleagues participated in a multi-center study that identified novel genetic mutations linked to uveal melanoma, the most common form of eye cancer. They found mutations in either of two related genes, GNAQ and GNA11, in 83% of tumor samples taken from patients with uveal melanoma. There are currently no effective therapies for this cancer once it has metastasized; this new understanding of the disease may lead to targets and treatments in the future. These findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.