In addition to his daily work treating his own patients at the NYECC, Dr. Finger is committed to advancing research that will benefit people diagnosed with eye cancer around the world.
In that spirit, Dr. Finger is working with the Ophthalmic Oncology Task Force to create a database on vitreoretinal lymphoma that will ultimately lead to more effective treatments and better patient outcomes.
Primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL) is a variant of central nervous system lymphoma with initial or primary manifestation in the eyes. It is a typically aggressive, diffuse large B-cell malignancy. Patients diagnosed with PVRL generally have a poor prognosis.
Currently, there is very little evidence-based, statistically significant information about vitreoretinal lymphoma. To gather this vital data, Dr. Finger and the Ophthalmic Oncology Task Force have create an International Vitreoretinal Lymphoma Tumor Registry.
Information gathered through the registry will help determine the best local and systemic treatment strategies. Because vitreoretinal lymphoma is often associated with central nervous system lymphoma, this information will help save both vision and life.
The goal is to register 2,500 cases of vitreoretinal lymphoma in the database from participating centers around the world. Each center must be able to enroll at least 50 cases diagnosed between the years 2000 to 2015.
The database will anonymize patient information and conform to all privacy standards. All data mining related publications will include two authors from each center. Though there will be a group authorship as primary, each center will be listed in order, according to the number of patients entered into the database.
The ultimate success of the Vitreoretinal Lymphoma Tumor Registry will depend on the participation of retinal specialist, ophthalmic oncologist, and hematologist oncologist. If you are a physician specializing in these areas and you’re interested in participating in the registry, please contact Dr. Finger at pfinger [at] eyecancer [dot] com.
