Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. In children with retinoblastoma, chemotherapy is under investigation. Your child may receive treatment that is considered standard based on its effectiveness in a number of patients in past studies, or you may choose to have your child take part in a clinical trial. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to test new treatments and find better ways to treat children with cancer.
Clinical trials are ongoing in many parts of the country for advanced stages of retinoblastoma.
Intraocular Retinoblastoma Treatment depends on whether the cancer is in one or both eyes. External radiation therapy, photocoagulation, cryotherapy, or brachytherapy may be used with smaller tumors when there is potential for preservation of sight. Radiation therapy to both eyes if there is potential for vision in both eyes. Clinical trials testing systemic chemotherapy with or without other types of treatment. Clinical trials are testing new combinations of chemotherapy drugs, with or without peripheral stem cell transplantation, and different ways of administrating chemotherapy drugs.