Treatment

Main treatments for retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma can usually be successfully treated if found early.

Treatment aims to get rid of the cancer, but there is a high chance your child may lose some or all of their vision in the affected eye.

The treatment your child will have will depend on:

• the size of the cancer
• if the cancer is in one eye or both eyes
• if it has spread
• your child's age and health

You may be offered a combination of treatments including chemotherapy, laser treatment, cryotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.

Your child's specialist treatment team will:

• explain the treatments, benefits and side effects
• work with you to create a treatment plan that's best for your child
• help you and your child to manage the side effects

If you have any questions or worries, you can talk to your specialist team.

Laser treatment

Laser treatment uses a strong beam of light, directed into the eye, to kill cancer cells.

Your child may have laser treatment for retinoblastoma if the tumour is small and at the back of the eye.

Very small tumours may be successfully treated with laser therapy alone.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy uses freezing to kill cancer cells. A small device is placed on the eye to freeze the cancer.

Your child may have cryotherapy for retinoblastoma if:

• the tumour is small
• the tumour is on the outer edge of the retina

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is medicine that kills cancer cells.

Your child may have chemotherapy for retinoblastoma:

• to shrink the tumour before having another treatment
• to treat cancer that's in both eyes or has spread

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy uses radiation to kill cancer cells.

It's usually done by putting a small piece of radioactive material in the eye, or sometimes by aiming a beam of radiation at the tumour (this includes a treatment called proton beam therapy).

Surgery

Sometimes surgery might be needed to remove the affected eye. This is called enucleation.

Surgery may be needed because:

• the cancer is spreading to other parts of the eye
• other treatments have not worked

If your child's eye is removed, it will be replaced with an artificial eye that looks and moves similarly to their other eye.

You and your child will be supported through surgery and recovery by your specialist treatment team.

Care after your child's treatment

Your child may need several rounds of treatment. They will need to attend appointments and have tests in between treatments to check how well it's working.

Your specialist team will be able to give you more information about follow-up care after your child's treatment.

Find out more

• Treatment for retinoblastoma (Childhood Eye Cancer Trust)

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