This process may then be repeated every few weeks, depending on how much the tumor shrinks.īecause the chemo is put directly into the artery feeding the eye, doctors can use much smaller doses of chemo drugs (less than 10% of the doses used for systemic chemo). The drug used most often is melphalan, but other drugs such as carboplatin and topotecan can also be used. (This is done with the child asleep under general anesthesia.) The chemo is then infused into the artery. In this newer technique, a very thin catheter (a long, hollow, flexible tube) is inserted into a large artery on the inner thigh and slowly threaded through the blood vessels all the way up into the ophthalmic artery. Sometimes instead of systemic chemotherapy, the chemo is injected directly into the ophthalmic artery, the main artery that supplies blood to the eye. Other drugs might be used if these are not effective.
A standard combination is carboplatin, vincristine, and etoposide, although for very small tumors, only carboplatin and vincristine may be enough. Most often, 2 or 3 drugs are given at the same time. Some of the chemo drugs used to treat retinoblastoma include: Each chemo cycle typically lasts for a few weeks, and the total length of treatment is often several months.
Systemic chemo is given in cycles, with each treatment followed by a rest period to give the body time to recover. These drugs enter the bloodstream and reach throughout the body. Systemic chemotherapyĬhemo drugs can be injected into a vein (IV) or given by mouth. Chemo can be given in different ways to treat retinoblastoma. Chemotherapy (chemo) is the use of anti-cancer drugs to treat cancer.
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