Retinoblastoma is a rare cancer that begins in the retina, or the sensitive lining in the back of your eye. While it can affect people of all ages, it is most common in children. When treating retinoblastoma, one factor doctors consider is eye salvage (also called “globe salvage”). In short, eye salvage refers to the ability to preserve the eye, reduce or fight the tumor, and prevent the need to enucleate (remove the eye).
Ashley Chan of CureToday reports that treating advanced unilateral pediatric retinoblastoma with intra-arterial chemotherapy, as opposed to intravenous chemotherapy, could preserve the globe salvage rate. The difference between the two chemotherapies is administration; one is delivered to the artery while the other is delivered to the vein.
Researchers explored these two approaches within a study that included 143 children with advanced retinoblastoma. They tracked the children over a 3-year period to evaluate disease stabilization and globe preservation. The 2-year progression-free globe salvage rate was nearly double in those receiving intra-arterial chemotherapy (53%) vs. those receiving the intravenous form (27%). More interestingly, a majority of participants receiving intravenous chemotherapy experienced myelosuppression, or bone marrow suppression, a condition in which your bone marrow doesn’t make enough red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. Alternately, just under half of those receiving the intra-arterial form had myelosuppression.
However, that’s not to say that intra-arterial chemotherapy did not have its own issues. For example, intra-arterial chemotherapy led to blood clots in the neck arteries (ophthalmic artery stenosis) and ophthalmic artery obstruction in a small number of patients.
About Retinoblastoma
Most children with retinoblastoma develop it in only one eye, while about 25% of those affected develop it in both eyes. This cancer most often manifests between ages 2 to 6; an estimated 200-300 children are diagnosed in the United States each year. Symptoms can include:
- Strabismus (crossed or lazy eye)
- Eye redness and inflammation
- Retina that may appear white on film or when light is shone on it
- Vision issues
- Eye pain
- Bulging eye
