The treatment of retinoblastoma with intravenous chemotherapy + local treatment

Abstract

AbstractPatients and method: Treatments protocols applied since 1995 included intraveinous chemotherapy at various dosages with local ophthalmological treatment by transpupillary thermotherapy, cryotherapy and iodine 125 plaque brachytherapy. The data concerning initial findings, treatments used, and results are registered in our database in a prospective way. We performed a retrospective study of children treated between January 1995 and December 2009. Results: There were 317 patients with bilateral retinoblastoma and 411 patients with unilateral retinoblastoma. The median follow up is 72 months. Median age at diagnosis was 7 month for bilateral and 20 months for unilateral. In bilateral patients, 104 had conservative management of both eyes, 204 had a conservative management of one eye and enucleation of the fellow eye and 9 had bilateral enucleation. Among the 312 eyes treated conservatively, 83 eyes were irradiated and 13 had secondary enucleation. (Success rate 70%) Among 411 unilateral retinoblastoma, 87(21%) were treated conservatively. 71 eyes were preserved (67 without external beam and 4 with external beam) (success rate 77%) Conclusion: Chemotherapy associated to local ophthalmological treatments is efficient in the