An Evolutionary Patient Journey in Uveal Melanoma

Patients who receive a rare cancer diagnosis begin a diagnostic and treatment journey which is complicated by personal fear of the unknown and the reality of a scientific and clinical research community which may not have many insights, options, and definitive answers to enable long-term survival. Patients and families may initially struggle to find clinicians well-informed in the rare cancer and clinical trials of emerging therapies. Patient advocacy groups focused on specific rare cancers have established an important role and point of contact for connecting patients who share the same diagnosis, for sharing experience and perspective along the clinical journey. In this article, a patient diagnosed with uveal melanoma (UM) relates the elements of his unfolding clinical journey and the influence of a unique patient advocacy group impacting his care, decisions, personal advocacy for optimizing his own care, and quest for new and meaningful therapeutic opportunities. This journey is accompanied by a rapid evolution of prognostic analytical and clinical therapeutic research overlapping the same time frame. Key insights along the patient journey identify opportunities for clinicians to more closely observe and resolve acute and late sequelae which significantly impact quality of life after the initial diagnosis and treatment. In this article, a patient with a diagnosis of uveal melanoma recounts their diagnostic and treatment experience over 6 years. The author's insights on clinical interactions and miscues may help inform those involved in cancer research on revolutionary advances in prognostic genomics in a rare disease.