Retinoblastoma is a rare cancer that begins in the retina of the eye. It can occur in one or both eyes and sometimes occurs in the area around the eye.
Overview
Treatment depends on whether the cancer is in one or both eyes or has spread outside the eye and how likely it is that vision can be saved.
About 200 to 300 children are diagnosed with retinoblastoma each year in the U.S. Although retinoblastoma can occur at any age, it usually occurs in children younger than 5 years. It is most common in children younger than 2 years. Retinoblastoma can be hereditary or non-hereditary, so genetic counseling is often recommended for children diagnosed, though most cases of retinoblastoma are non-hereditary.
Our approach
Children treated here have access to more clinical trials and new treatments than anywhere else in Minnesota. Many of the treatments now available to children with cancer were pioneered here at our National Cancer Institute-designated research facility, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota. Our discoveries often become the standard of care for patients around the world.
Depending on your specific diagnosis, different types of treatment are available. Our retinoblastoma specialists stay at the forefront of retinoblastoma care, often leading the field in new treatments, like intra-arterial chemotherapy, sometimes referred to as chemosurgery.
Intra-arterial chemotherapy is a procedure that begins with an incision in the femoral artery in the leg. Specialists send a tiny catheter into the femoral artery, through the heart and into the ophthalmic artery, which supplies blood to the eye. There, the chemotherapy is delivered directly to the eye. This precise infusion of chemotherapy decreases damage to other tissues while often avoiding the loss of the eye and vision.