Staging
Staging is a process that tells a doctor if the cancer has spread and if it has, how far. Staging is an important factor in evaluating treatment options.
Intraocular Retinoblastoma
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Description
- Cancer is found in one or both eyes. Cancer may be in the retina or other parts of the eye, such as the optic nerve, choroid, or ciliary body. It has not spread to tissues around the outside of the eye.
Treatment
- For smaller tumors in one or both eyes when your vision can be saved, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy, and in selective cases, plaque radiation therapy. For larger tumors, your doctor may need to remove the entire eye (enucleation). Your doctor may give you chemotherapy before or after surgery. If there is a chance to save your vision, your doctor will most likely recommend chemoreduction followed by cryotherapy, thermotherapy, or plaque radiotherapy.
Extraocular Retinoblastoma
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Description
- Cancer has spread beyond the eye to tissues around the eye, the central nervous system, the lymph nodes, or the bone marrow.
Treatment
- Extraocular retinoblastoma has no standard treatment. Your doctor may recommend combinations of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. If the cancer spreads to an area around the eye, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy followed by enucleation, possibly followed by more chemotherapy and/or radiation. If the cancer spreads to your brain, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy and/or radiation. For trilateral retinoblastoma, your doctor will most likely recommend chemotherapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplantation.
