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Chemotherapy with vincristine, etoposide and carboplatin may prevent metastasis in high-risk retinoblastoma
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 Swathi Kaliki |
PHILADELPHIA — Metastasis in high-risk retinoblastoma may be averted by adjuvant chemotherapy with vincristine, etoposide and carboplatin after enucleation, according to one presenter here.
"Retinoblastoma is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in children," Swathi Kaliki, MD, told colleagues at the Wills Eye Institute Alumni Conference.
She said that between 7,000 and 8,000 children are diagnosed with retinoblastoma each year and that 40% of these cases end in death due to metastasis, trilateral retinoblastoma or a second malignant neoplasm.
The retrospective, non-comparative, interventional case series analyzed the charts of 51 patients with high-risk retinoblastoma who were treated with vincristine, etoposide and carboplatin and had a follow-up of at least 1 year. The mean age was 42 months, and all but one patient was unilateral.
Of the histopathologic risk factors analyzed, 13% of patients had anterior chamber invasion, 12% had isolated choroidal invasion of 3 mm or less, 29% had isolated post-laminar optic nerve invasion and 46% had combined choroidal and optic nerve invasion.
At a follow-up of 5 years, none of the patients experienced metastasis or death related to retinoblastoma.
"Metastasis and death in high-risk retinoblastoma can be prevented in every single case. Even if we cannot save the vision or the eyes, we can at least save the lives of these children," Dr. Kaliki said.
- Disclosure: Dr. Kaliki has no direct financial interest in the products discussed in this article.