Division of Solid Tumor Oncology

Jefferson is the national destination of choice for many patients with advanced stages of melanoma. Every year, about 350 new cutaneous melanoma patients, from all over the tri-state area, are seen by physicians at the center. A hallmark of the melanoma program is the highly personal level of care provided by its physicians. They take the history, examine and review the pathology slides of every new patient — those with growths that will prove to be benign, those who are terminally ill from melanoma and everyone in between. They present a thorough assessment of the patient's condition and recommend follow-up or a course of treatment, if required. Our physicians have developed breakthrough treatments for skin cancer, translating research discoveries into improved patient care. We offer numerous leading-edge clinical trials for our patients and are actively involved in ongoing skin cancer research.

Additionally, Jefferson is a nationwide referral center for patients with uveal melanoma, a rare type of melanoma in the eye. People with all stages of uveal melanoma can find the compassionate and state-of-the-art treatment they need at Jefferson Health. We are partners with the Ocular Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital, the largest eye cancer center in the nation dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of eye tumors and cancers. Our Metastatic Uveal Melanoma Program at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of the few programs in the United States dedicated to treating melanoma in the eye. We perform over 650 procedures to treat metastatic eye melanoma each year. Our multidisciplinary team has pioneered immuno-embolization techniques to help improve survival when the liver is affected. We actively lead ocular melanoma clinical trials, giving you the opportunity to be among the first to benefit from promising new treatments.

Finally, the establishment of the Melanoma Research Institute of Excellence (MRIE) ensures our patients have access to next-generation therapies for notoriously complex cancers. The Melanoma Research Institute of Excellence at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC) is a comprehensive program that brings together two internationally recognized specialties within Jefferson’s NCI-designated SKCCC — uveal melanoma and skin melanoma. MRIE programs offer an unmatched breadth of treatment options with a proven track record for pioneering bench-to-bedside innovations, and first-in-field therapies. The program pairs innovative scientists with the world’s foremost clinicians in the discipline, and is converting discoveries into clinical innovations more rapidly than ever before, ensuring that our patients have access to next-generation therapies for these notoriously complex cancers.