Gustav Stålhammar

Professor of ophthalmology
Research group leader
M.D. Ph.D. FEBO
Board certified ophthalmologist
Board certified pathologist
Director, St. Erik Ophthalmic Pathology Laboratory

My research is dedicated to reducing mortality and morbidity caused by ocular and periocular tumors.

Our research group comprises approximately twelve investigators with a strong clinical orientation, working collaboratively on multiple simultaneous projects toward this common goal. A central area of our research is uveal melanoma—the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults. Even after surgical removal of the affected eye, nearly half of these patients eventually develop metastases, and median survival after metastatic disease is only about 1.5 years. Although we can reliably identify patients at high risk of metastasis using advanced techniques such as our next-generation sequencing panel, effective preventive therapies remain limited. My objective is to help improve these outcomes.

An important recent advancement is our development of a deep learning algorithm that differentiates benign pigmented fundus lesions—present in approximately 7% of Caucasians—from rare but life-threatening melanomas. Given the sheer number of patients affected, this represents a significant clinical challenge. We anticipate that enhanced education and improved early identification of malignant lesions using this deep learning tool will contribute substantially to better patient outcomes.

Additionally, I serve as Principal Investigator of AMUM (clinicaltrials.gov), the world’s longest-running randomized clinical trial evaluating adjuvant Melatonin treatment for uveal melanoma.