Uveal melanoma is one of the few cancers that can be diagnosed in the doctor’s office, rather than through a biopsy procedure and tissue analysis by a pathologist. This means that, unless the eye is removed rather than treated with radiation, there is typically no tumor tissue to store or any guidelines that would require it. The clinical sample repository addresses an important need in this disease.
If you are interested in accessing the repository service, you must talk to your physician. If you choose to provide a sample for storage, you will be required to review and sign a form titled “AUTHORIZATION FOR STORING BIOSPECIMEN FOR POSSIBLE FUTURE USE.” Your doctor will discuss the sample collection process with you, which would occur at the same time your sample for DecisionDx-UM testing is taken. The sample for storage, along with the required authorization, will be provided to Castle via our standard shipping process. Samples for storage will not be accepted without a completed authorization.
To access the authorization form, click here.