What is the best treatment for retinoblastoma?
The main types of treatment for retinoblastoma are: Surgery (Enucleation) for Retinoblastoma. Radiation Therapy for Retinoblastoma. Laser Therapy (Photocoagulation or Thermotherapy) for Retinoblastoma.
What is photocoagulation and how is it useful?
Laser photocoagulation is eye surgery utilizing heat from a laser to shrink or destroy abnormal blood vessels in the retina. Through the intentional formation of scar tissue, the laser device can be used to seal off leaking blood vessels, improve retinal oxygen levels, and treat retinal tears and detachment.
What is photocoagulation of retina?
Retinal laser photocoagulation is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat leaking blood vessels in the retina that stem from serious retinal conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. This procedure can also seal retinal tears.
What is laser therapy for retinoblastoma?
Laser therapy is a noninvasive, outpatient treatment for retinoblastoma. Lasers very effectively destroy smaller retinoblastoma tumors. This type of treatment is usually done by focusing light through the pupil onto and around the tumor. The light slowly heats up the tumor, destroying it.
How successful is laser photocoagulation?
Conclusions: : All peripheral retinal pathologies with risk should be treated by laser photocoagulation. Tear(s) with visible traction should be treated immediately for prevention of sequent serious complications. The successful rate for laser photocoagulation for peripheral retinal pathologies was more than 98%.
How does laser photocoagulation work?
Focal laser photocoagulation uses the heat of light to seal or destroy abnormal blood vessels in the retina. Individual vessels are treated with a small number of laser burns. PRP aims to slow down the growth of new blood vessels in a wider area of the retina.
How long does photocoagulation take?
Your doctor then performs laser photocoagulation or cryotherapy to seal the retinal tear. This procedure takes about one hour.
Can you see after laser photocoagulation?
Laser Photocoagulation Recovery Your vision may be blurry for about 24 hours after the surgery, but this initial blurriness should clear up. Laser photocoagulation will not restore vision that has been lost to diabetic retinopathy, however it does treat macular edema, which helps to slow the progression of the disease.
Who performs laser photocoagulation?
Who Performs Laser Photocoagulation? A type of medical doctor called a retina specialist will perform laser photocoagulation. Retina specialists have completed medical school and a residency to become ophthalmologists6. They then go on to further specialize in diseases of the retina.
Is laser therapy a Thermotherapy?
Laser Therapy (Photocoagulation or Thermotherapy) for Retinoblastoma. Lasers are highly focused beams of light that can be used to heat and destroy body tissues. Different types of laser therapy can sometimes be used to treat small retinoblastoma tumors.
What is the survival rate for retinoblastoma?
Doctors often use the observed survival rate when they talk about a prognosis. The 5-year observed survival for retinoblastoma in children 0 to 14 years of age is 96%. This means that, on average, 96% of children diagnosed with retinoblastoma are expected to live at least 5 years after their diagnosis.
What is Cryotherapy for retinoblastoma?
In cryotherapy, the doctor uses a small metal probe that is cooled to very low temperatures, killing the retinoblastoma cells by freezing them. It is only effective for small tumors toward the front of the eye. It is not used routinely for children with several tumors.
Overview of photocoagulation treatment
Photocoagulation treatment involves the exposure of the affected tissues to laser rays causing them to heat up. The heat produced by the laser can seal and destroy the abnormal blood vessels and capillaries in the retina thus preventing leakage of blood that is responsible for the development and progress of diabetic retinopathy.
Focal photocoagulation
This form of photocoagulation treatment is used for sealing the specific leaking capillaries and blood vessels in a small area of the retina, usually close to the macula.
Pan-retinal or scatter photocoagulation
This form of treatment is recommended for slowing down the growth of new vessels that are developed over a wider part of the retina.
What Should You Expect From Photocoagulation Therapy?
Laser photocoagulation can be performed as an outpatient procedure in the doctor’s clinic. It is usually performed under topical or local anesthesia that numbs only the eye.
What Should You Expect After Retinal Photocoagulation?
Laser photocoagulation can reduce the risk of complete or partial vision loss linked to diabetic retinopathy. It can help to stabilize your vision and prevent further vision loss.
What Are the Risks Involved In Retinal Laser Photocoagulation?
Laser photocoagulation works by burning and destroying the affected part of the retina. The treatment may cause a few adverse effects such as a minimal loss of central vision, reduced ability to focus, and reduced night vision.
Conclusion
Laser treatment, when performed in a timely manner, could reduce your risk of future vision loss and protect your eyesight against the complications linked to retinopathy.
What is laser photocoagulation?
Photocoagulation of the retina or retinal laser photocoagulation is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat various diseases of the retin a. Several conditions may cause the retina to swell due to abnormal leaky blood vessels growing ...
What is retinal prematurity?
Retinopathy of prematurity. Abnormalities of the blood vessels in the retina such as microaneurysms (weakening and ballooning of the small blood vessels), telangiectasia (dilation of the small blood vessels), and blood vessel leakage. Removal of retinal adhesions formed around retinal tears and detached areas.
What are the risks of laser eye surgery?
The procedure is quite safe, and complications are rare. Some possible complications are as follows: 1 Bleeding 2 Retinal detachment 3 Decreased vision or loss of vision 4 Accidental laser burns to other important structures in the eye
Why does my retina swell?
Several conditions may cause the retina to swell due to abnormal leaky blood vessels growing over it. Laser photocoagulation uses laser light to create thermal energy of above 65°C, creating thermal burns in the retinal tissue. This can stop the bleeding blood vessels from leaking into the retina. Laser photocoagulation can also cause fibrosis ...
What is retinal detachment?
Retinal detachment is the separation of the retina from its attachments to the underlying eye tissue. Symptoms of retinal detachment include flashing lights and floaters. Highly nearsighted young adults and those who've had cataract surgery are at higher risk for retinal detachment.
What is a PRP laser?
Panretinal (all over the retina) photocoagulation (PRP) for neovascular diseases (diseases with new blood vessel) and proliferative diseases such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy, sickle cell retinopathy, and venous occlusion disease local or grid photocoagulation, in which a laser is targeted at a specific area.
How is a laser eye surgery performed?
The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, using anesthetic eye drops. A mild sedative may be administered. The patient is seated in front of a slit lamp delivery system (a setup with a microscope and bright light used by an eye doctor to examine the eye and perform outpatient procedures). The pupils are dilated. The lens in the slit lamp is used to focus a beam of laser light onto the retina. The laser beams are targeted at the affected areas of the retina. The laser beams create thermal energy causing laser burns over the targeted areas of the retina. The patient may see bright flashes of light during the procedure. There is no significant pain or discomfort during the procedure. Patients may experience a mild pricking sensation or pressure over the eye during the procedure.
What is the treatment for retinoblastoma?
Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy, such as X-rays and protons, to kill cancer cells. Types of radiation therapy used in treating retinoblastoma include: Local radiation. During local radiation, also called plaque radiotherapy or brachytherapy, the treatment device is temporarily placed near the tumor.
What is the procedure to remove retinoblastoma?
Eye removal surgery for retinoblastoma includes: Surgery to remove the affected eye (enucleation). During surgery to remove the eye, surgeons disconnect the muscles and tissue around the eye and remove the eyeball. A portion of the optic nerve, which extends from the back of the eye into the brain, also is removed.
How to diagnose retinoblastoma in children?
Tests and procedures used to diagnose retinoblastoma include: Eye exam. Your eye doctor will conduct an eye exam to determine what's causing your child's signs and symptoms. For a more thorough exam, the doctor may recommend using anesthetics to keep your child still. Imaging tests.
Why do you put radiation near a tumor?
Placing radiation near the tumor reduces the chance that treatment will affect healthy tissues outside the eye. This type of radiotherapy is typically used for tumors that don't respond to chemotherapy. External beam radiation.
What is the treatment for cancer?
Cold treatment (cryotherapy) Cryotherapy uses extreme cold to kill cancer cells. During cryotherapy , a very cold substance, such as liquid nitrogen, is placed in or near the cancer cells. Once the cells freeze, the cold substance is removed and the cells thaw.
What tests can be done to determine if a child has retinoblastoma?
Imaging tests. Scans and other imaging tests can help your child's doctor determine whether retinoblastoma has grown to affect other structures around the eye. Imaging tests may include ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), among others.
Can you remove your eye to treat retinoblastoma?
When the cancer is too large to be treated by other methods, surgery to remove the eye may be used to treat retinoblastoma. In these situations, eye removal may help prevent the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. Eye removal surgery for retinoblastoma includes:
What is the treatment for extraocular retinoblastoma?
Treatment options for extraocular retinoblastoma (CNS disease) include the following: Systemic chemotherapy and CNS-directed therapy with radiation therapy. Systemic chemotherapy followed by myeloablative chemotherapy and stem cell rescue with or without radiation therapy.
What is the late effect of retinoblastoma?
Treatment of retinoblastoma aims to save the patient's life and uses an individualized, risk-adapted approach to minimize systemic exposure to drugs, optimize ocular drug delivery, and preserve useful vision.
What is the cell of origin of retinoblastoma?
Maturing cone precursor cells appear to be the cell of origin in human retinoblastoma. [ 1, 2] Microscopically, the appearance of retinoblastoma depends on the degree of differentiation. Undifferentiated retinoblastoma is composed of small, round, densely packed cells with hypochromatic nuclei and scant cytoplasm. Several degrees of photoreceptor differentiation have been described and are characterized by distinctive arrangements of tumor cells, as follows:
Where is intraocular retinoblastoma located?
Intraocular retinoblastoma is localized to the eye; it may be confined to the retina or may extend to involve other structures such as the choroid, ciliary body, anterior chamber, and optic nerve head. Intraocular retinoblastoma, however, does not extend beyond the eye into the tissues around the eye or to other parts of the body.
Where does retinoblastoma grow?
Retinoblastoma arises from the retina, and it may grow under the retina and/or toward the vitreous cavity. Involvement of the ocular coats and optic nerve occurs as a sequence of events as the tumor progresses.
Can a blood sample be used to test for retinoblastoma?
Blood and tumor samples can be tested to determine whether a patient with retinoblastoma has a germline or somatic mutation in the RB1 gene. Once the patient's genetic mutation has been identified, other family members can be screened directly for the mutation with targeted sequencing.
Is retinoblastoma heritable or nonheritable?
Retinoblastoma is a tumor that occurs in heritable (25%–30%) and nonheritable (70%–75%) forms. Heritable disease is defined by the presence of a germline mutation of the RB1 gene. This germline mutation may have been inherited from an affected progenitor (25% of cases) or may have occurred in a germ cell before conception or in utero during early embryogenesis in patients with sporadic disease (75% of cases). The presence of positive family history or bilateral or multifocal disease is suggestive of heritable disease.
What is retinoblastoma eye exam?
Key Points. Retinoblastoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the retina. Children with a family history of retinoblastoma should have eye exams to check for retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma occurs in heritable and nonheritable forms.
Where is intraocular retinoblastoma found?
In intraocular retinoblastoma, cancer is found in one or both eyes and may be in the retina only or may also be in other parts of the eye such as the choroid, ciliary body, or part of the optic nerve. Cancer has not spread to tissues around the outside of the eye or to other parts of the body.
What is the heritable form of retinoblastoma?
A child is thought to have the heritable (inherited) form of retinoblastoma when there is a certain mutation (change) in the RB1 gene. The mutation in the RB1 gene may be passed from the parent to the child, or it may occur in the egg or sperm before conception or soon after conception.
Why is retinoblastoma not a routine screening?
CT (computerized tomography) scans are usually not used for routine screening in order to avoid exposing the child to ionizing radiation. Heritable retinoblastoma also increases the child's risk of other types of cancer such as lung cancer, bladder cancer, or melanoma in later years.
How old is a child diagnosed with retinoblastoma?
The brain tumor is usually diagnosed between 20 and 36 months of age. Regular screening using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) may be done for a child thought to have heritable retinoblastoma or for a child with retinoblastoma in one eye and a family history of the disease.
How often do you check for retinoblastoma?
After heritable retinoblastoma has been diagnosed and treated, new tumors may continue to form for a few years. Regular eye exams to check for new tumors are usually done every 2 to 4 months for at least 28 months.
What is the name of the disease where the brain receives light?
Retinoblastoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the retina. The retina is made of nerve tissue that lines the inside wall of the back of the eye. It receives light and converts the light into signals that travel down the optic nerve to the brain.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is when doctors use drugs to treat cancer. Doctors use these treatments to shrink the tumor. Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for retinoblastoma. It’s often the first treatment doctors try, and it may help your child avoid surgery.
Cryotherapy (freeze therapy)
During cryotherapy, doctors place a very cold tool called a freezing pen (probe) on the surface of the eye. Using this pen, doctors freeze and thaw the tumor cells several times to kill them. This helps keep the tumor cells from spreading outside of the eye.
Laser therapy
Doctors can use different lasers to heat and kill cancer cells directly — or to destroy the blood vessels in the eye that are “feeding” the tumor.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses x-rays to kill cancer cells. There are 2 types of radiation therapy:
Surgery
In some cases, doctors may recommend surgery to get rid of the tumor by removing the eye completely. Doctors may recommend surgery if the tumor:
