Patricia Tretter

Radiation therapy in retinoblastoma. An analysis of 230 cases.

Retinoblastoma is a rare, congenital, malignant tumor which predominantly affects infants and young children. Approximately 65 per cent of the cases are unilateral, are generally far advanced in the globe when first seen, and are treated by enucleation (5). In 35 per cent, tumors are found in both eyes, either simultaneously or within a short time of each other; in these, it is usual to enucleate the more severely affected eye because it is unlikely that useful vision can be maintained and to irradiate the less involved eye in an attempt to preserve sight. A smaller group of cases, those with early unilateral or bilateral disease, are also treated with radiation (6). In addition, irradiation is given for postoperative residual or recurrent disease and as a palliative measure for distant metastases. Although excellent studies are available, assessing the survival results and genetics of retinoblastoma, none has analyzed the local control rate due to radiation therapy, the effect of currently employed radia...

Radiation Therapy for Rhabdomyosarcoma

The treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma has been the subject of considerable discussion (4). Radical surgical extirpation of the primary tumor is usually attempted, occasionally followed by irradiation. Unfortunately, widespread metastases usually appear early in the course of the disease and lead to a rapid death; this makes accurate evaluation of any therapeutic regime difficult. Rhabdomyosarcoma of the orbit, the most common primary orbital malignant tumor of childhood (8), offers a unique opportunity to study the role of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy in treatment of this tumor because disease in this site tends to remain localized, often for periods of months (1). Despite an absence of time-dose data, surgeons have dismissed irradiation in attempts at curative treatment (3, 8, 9). Lederman claims the disease is radiosensitive, but not radiocurable, owing to its prompt local recurrence (7). Present Material We have reviewed the records of 17 patients with a diagnosis of orbital rhabdomyosarcoma ref...