David H. Abramson, MD

The most common ophthalmic cancer is melanoma in the eye. This is also known as uveal melanoma or ocular melanoma. We offer sophisticated diagnostic and treatment options for this cancer. These include brachytherapy (sealed radioactive material that’s surgically placed directly onto the eye) with radioactive iodine. Our medical physicists and brachytherapy team are internationally respected for their expertise in delivering customized treatments for each patient. In collaboration with MSK’s melanoma team, we offer clinical trials for melanoma of the eye that has spread to another part of the body.

As a member of the MSK Kids team, I treat patients with a pediatric eye tumor called retinoblastoma. Dating back to 1914, our retinoblastoma center is the longest continually operating center of its kind in the world. We have the longest follow-up of the largest number of patients. We have a modern examination suite dedicated to the care of children with retinoblastoma. It features all the latest equipment needed to diagnose and treat retinoblastoma in the most effective way possible.

I have introduced many new treatments for retinoblastoma that have been adopted by other cancer hospitals. These treatments include the novel use of chemotherapy delivered around the eye to prevent the widespread side effects caused by intravenous medication. In 2006, we pioneered the use of high-concentration, low-dose chemotherapy delivered directly into the blood vessel of the eye through a catheter (thin, flexible tube) placed in the groin, which can be given on an outpatient basis. We have the most experience with this technique (called ophthalmic artery chemosurgery or intraarterial chemotherapy) and have taught it to doctors around the world. In the past, we removed one or both eyes in 95 percent of children with retinoblastoma, but now we can avoid removing the eye 95 percent of the time.

In addition, our studies on the long-term complications of retinoblastoma have been published extensively in the Journal of the American Medical Association as well as in eye disease and cancer journals.

I have published more than 700 books, chapters, original articles, scientific reviews, audiotapes, and videotapes, and I was the editor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s instruction book on ophthalmic oncology. I have delivered more than 500 lectures worldwide, including those in France, Italy, England, Switzerland, Israel, China, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, and Argentina.

Among the many honors I have received are awards from the Swiss Society of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the Helen Keller Services for the Blind, and the New York State Ophthalmological Society. I have received many teaching awards. I have also received the Honor Award, the Senior Honor Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.