Retinoblastoma
by jmmillerRetinoblastoma is cancer of the retina. The retina is the thin nerve tissue that lines they eye and senses light, which forms images.
It mostly occurs in younger children but can affect people of all ages. Children usually are affected before five years old, and the tumor can affect one eye or both eyes. Most of the time if it only affects one eye it isn’t classified as hereditary and it is more likely to be found in older children. It is classified as hereditary if there are tumors in both eyes.
Retinoblastoma usually affects the eyes and rarely spreads to surrounding tissues and other body parts. Sometimes, if retinoblastoma is detected, the pupil will be white. The child will be examined under a general anesthesia. Often the doctor will take a sample of bone marrow and cerebrospinal fluid. They will examine these for cancer cells. They do these tests because in some cases the retinoblastoma may spread to the brain and bone marrow. In some cases a CAT scan may be taken as well.
More that 90 % of the time retinoblastomas can be cured. The main treatments can include:
- Radiation Therapy- This is a high energy radiation used to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells
- Enucleation- this is where the eye is removed if only one eye is affected. If both eyes are affected, they will destroy the tumor so both eyes don’t need to be removed.
- Chemotherapy- These are anti cancer drugs that can be used if the cancer has spread
- Cryotherapy- Extreme coldness helps destroy cancer cells
- Thermotherapy- Heat use can help destroy cancer cells
- Photocoagulation- Laser light destroys blood vessels, which supply the tumor with nutrients
The doctor will re-examine the child every two to four months. Children with retinoblastoma are at higher risk of having a recurrence of cancer when they are older. If you have any questions or concerns please call your doctor.
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