Archive | 2019
Current Management in Retinoblastoma
Abstract
Retinoblastoma is a complex eye tumor manifesting in children below the age of 3 years. Over the years, the management of retinoblastoma has undergone drastic changes, thus improving the outcomes. The primary goal of management of retinoblastoma is life salvage, and secondary and tertiary goals include globe salvage and vision salvage, respectively, and thus improvement of the quality of life of the child. The choice of treatment of retinoblastoma depends on multiple factors including patients’ age, general condition, family desires, tumor laterality, tumor classification, tumor location, associated ocular features, radiological findings, and patient compliance to treatment. Smaller tumors can be managed with focal treatment like transpupillary thermotherapy or cryotherapy, while larger tumors need intravenous chemotherapy or intra-arterial chemotherapy. Enucleation is needed in very advanced tumors. External beam radiotherapy is rarely used except in cases with extraocular extension of retinoblastoma. Other supplemental treatments with subtenon’s chemotherapy, intravitreal chemotherapy, and plaque radiotherapy improve the outcomes further.