Tumor - retina; Cancer - retina

Treatment options depend upon the size and location of the tumor.

• Small tumors may be treated by laser surgery or cryotherapy.
• Radiation is used for both local tumor and for larger tumors.
• Chemotherapy may be needed if the tumor has spread beyond the eye.

The eye may need to be removed (a procedure called eucleation) if the tumor does not respond to other treatments. In some cases, it may be the first treatment.

If the cancer has not spread beyond the eye, almost all patients can be cured. A cure, however, may require aggressive treatment and even removal of the eye in order to be successful.

If the cancer has spread beyond the eye, the likelihood of a cure is lower and depends on how the tumor has spread.

Blindness can occur in the affected eye. The tumor can spread to the eye socket through the optic nerve. It may also spread to the brain, lungs, and bones.

Call your health care provider if signs or symptoms of retinoblastoma are present, especially if your child's eyes look abnormal or appear abnormal in photographs.

Images

Eye

Review Date: 03/21/2010
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)