Retinoblastoma is a rare childhood cancer that originates in the the retina Iin the eye.
Intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) is a method of delivering concentrated doses of cancer-killing medicine directly to the affected area of the eye using microwires and tubes just like angiogram in adults.
In IAC, the chemotherapy dose is released into the ophthalmic artery, the primary blood supply at the back of the eye. While the patient is sedated, a very thin catheter (a long, flexible tube) is inserted in the groin artery in the hip and fed through the body’s network of arteries to the opening of the ophthalmic artery, behind the eye, where the chemotherapy dose is given.
In most cases, three IAC treatments are administered,, 3 drug combinations with 3weeks apart.
What are the benefits of treatment with IAC for retinoblastoma?
There are several ways to treat retinoblastoma, and more than one treatment method may be used in an individual patient.
Until the 1990s, the standard treatment was radiation therapy or surgical removal of the affected eye. Advances in treatment have improved outcomes by expanding the range of options to include cryotherapy and thermotherapy (precise methods of destroying cancer cells with extreme cold and heat), plaque radiotherapy.
Chemotherapy can be delivered to the entire body with intravenous injections. This is called systemic chemotherapy and is usually recommended by our team in cases of bilateral retinoblastoma.
Systemic chemotherapy is also indicated when cancer is in many places in the body, as can be the case when retinoblastoma has spread beyond the eyes.
We believe that IAC is most effective in cases where the retinoblastoma is in one eye (unilateral), and there is no indication of cancer beyond that eye. It is used in newly diagnosed cases when the cancer is found in one eye, and as a second-line treatment, after other treatment methods have been used.
Advantages of IAC:
- Selective targeted delivery of drug
- Relatively High dosage
- No multiple sessions
- Minimal / no side effects
- Advanced treatment in selective cases
- Better and successful outcomes.
- Minimal hospital stay.
