Retinoblastoma is a cancer of the retina. The tumor may begin in one or both eyes. Retinoblastoma is usually confined to the eye but can spread to the brain via the optic nerve.

Until recently the only treatment was to remove the affected eyeball before the cancer spread. Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for most unilateral cases. However with locally advanced disease external beam radiation may be needed and if both eyes are involved, enucleation may be the only option.

Local therapies include

·         Laser therapy: Uses infrared laser light to precisely destroy the blood vessels surrounding a tumor.

·         Cryotherapy: use of a cold gas which is injected into the affected part of the retina to shrink the tumor.

·         Thermotherapy: It uses the principle that if heat is applied to the affected area, a tumor will sustain more damage than healthy cells because healthy cells can cool themselves better using healthy surrounding blood vessels. If this technique is not immediately successful it may increase the efficacy of other treatments such as chemotherapy and focused radiation plaques.

·         Radiotherapy : Radiotherapy destroys cancerous growths using gamma radiation but it carries with it many drawbacks, including:

·         Possibility of secondary cancerous growths which present themselves months or years later.

·         Destruction of healthy cells in the area surrounding the treated tumor.

·         Bone deformation due to the destruction of the growth plates mainly in the area of the temple.

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