Sheffield Ocular Oncology Service | A Centre for Excellence in Adult Eye Cancer since 1987
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals 
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Telephone 0114 271 2029 or 0114 226 1341
How we're researching for the future
We have a well-developed research program dating back over 20 years and were the first in the United Kingdom to investigate the genetic background to ocular melanomas.

Research in Sheffield was central to the identification of a number of predictive genetic changes, and we were the first over 15 years ago to identify the relationship between two of these important changes, and highlighted the role other genetic changes may play.

Our research developed simple tests that can look for these important genetic changes and now forms the basis of many of the genetic tests performed worldwide on uveal melanomas.

Our continued research program looks to expand our understanding of the genetic background of ocular melanomas and seeks to explain how the genetic changes affect the way in which tumours develop and progress. Our research aims to identify the relevant genes that may mean uveal melanomas can be treated more effectively by different medicines already available, or genetic changes that may be suitable targets for the development of new drugs.

Research in Sheffield was also the first to investigate how the environment surrounding ocular melanoma affected the way the tumour grows, and we showed that factors within the eye may inhibit the development of the tumour and may explain why some tumours grow more slowly than others.
Exciting news!

Sheffield Ocular Oncology Service and University of Sheffield, in conjunction with Weston Park Cancer Charity (WPHCC) have developed a genetic test which comprehensively investigated the regions of chromosomes known to be specifically lost or gained in uveal melanoma.

The test looks in more detail than previous tests (180,000 reference points) at the regions of interest. Using this test we have already identified novel changes. Importantly our test is also reliably able to identify the tumours with the worse outcome over a ten year period, and is now used to support our normal testing procedures for patients with uveal melanoma.

Reference: Hammond DW, Al-Shammari NSD, Danson S, Jacques R, Rennie IG, Sisley K (2015). High-resolution Array CGH analysis identifies regional deletions and amplifications of chromosome 8 in uveal melanoma. /Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci/: 56: 3460-3466.
Selected recent publications from the research team
Mudhar HS, Doherty R, Salawu A, Sisley K, Rennie IG (2013). Immunohistochemical and molecular pathology of ocular uveal melanocytoma: Evidence for somatic GNAQ mutations.
Br J Ophthamol 97: 924-928.

Gravells P, Hoh L, Solovieva S, Patil A, Dudziec E, Rennie IG, Sisley K, Bryant HE (2013). Reduced FANCD2 influences spontaneous SCE and RAD51 foci formation in uveal melanoma and Fanconi anaemia. Oncogene doi: 10.1038/onc.2012.627. [Epub ahead of print]

Mudhar HS, Rennie IG (2013). Local conjunctival metastases from primary conjunctival melanoma: Clinico-pathological correlation and implications. Br J Ophthamol 97: 33-39.

Mudhar HS, Ian Scott I, Ul-Hassan A, Burton D, Doherty R, Cross NA, Rennie IG, Sisley K (2012). Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic hyperplasia (BDUMP) - molecular characterisation and novel association with bilateral renal papillary carcinoma. Histopathology 61:751-754.

Gravells P, Hoh L, Canovas D, Rennie IG, Sisley K, Bryant HE (2011). Resistance of uveal melanoma to the interstrand cross-linking agent mitomycin C is associated with reduced expression of CYP450R. Br J Cancer 104:1098-1105.

Hoh L, Gravells P, Canovas D, Ul-Hassan A, Rennie IG, Bryant H, Sisley K (2011). Atypically low spontaneous sister chromatid exchange formation in uveal melanoma. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 50:34-42.

Sisley K, Doherty R, Cross NA (2011). What hope for the future? GNAQ and uveal melanoma. Br J Ophthalmol 95: 620-623.
'I was extremely apprehensive but it was nothing like I feared. The care I received in Sheffield was first class. The team are all dedicated, caring professionals who left me feeling I could not have been treated better anywhere.'

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Anthony Powell