Long-Term Data Show Value of Intravenous Chemotherapy in Retinoblastoma
Intravenous chemotherapy (IVC), with intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) or plaque radiotherapy as needed for globe salvage, can control retinoblastoma without the need for enucleation or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), 20-year real-world outcomes show, according to a Reuters report.
“Basically we found, in our experience, that the management of retinoblastoma is complex and requires experience with this condition and knowledge of when to intervene with additional therapies,” Carol L. Shields, MD, of Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia told Reuters Health by email. “Using 6 cycles of intravenous chemotherapy (plus additional therapies) we were able to achieve complete tumor control by 2 years, and the control was lasting at the 20-year point.”
Dr. Shields and her colleagues started their IVC program in 1994 and published their first observations two years later. In the new study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, they report outcomes for 964 eyes of 554 patients treated at their center.