014 Intra-arterial chemotherapy (chemosurgery) in the ophthalmic artery for the treatment of retinoblastoma in children: 3 year experience

Introduction: Retinoblastoma is the first cause of eye cancer in children. Conventional treatment includes local treatment with laser, cryotherapy or radioactive plaque, and if these fail, external beam radiotherapy and intravenous chemotherapy are used. However, the diagnosis is often made late, and enucleation is frequent. Materials and Methods: In May 2006 we started an IRB approved protocol to perform intra-arterial chemotherapy (chemosurgery) in children with advanced retinoblastoma who were candidates for enucleation. Children had an initial ophthalmologic examination under anesthesia (EUA) to confirm the diagnosis and the extent of the disease. EUA allowed …