This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Globe salvage rates better with IAC than IVC in select cases of unilateral retinoblastoma

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Intra-arterial chemotherapy resulted in better globe salvage than intravenous chemotherapy for treatment of unilateral retinoblastoma in certain cases, according to a speaker here.

“There is not complete agreement in the management of retinoblastoma,” Carol L. Shields, MD, said at the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus meeting. “Basically, we have some agreement that we have made huge progress in the management of retinoblastoma. In fact, this is the most successfully treated pediatric cancer.”

Carol L. Shields

A retrospective comparison of 91 unilateral retinoblastoma cases in which patients were managed with either intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) or intravenous chemotherapy (IVC) was completed with the primary outcome measure being salvage of the globe.

The study looked at eyes classified as group A, B, C, D and E based on the International Classification of Retinoblastoma. Overall, there was no significant difference in globe salvage rates between IAC at 74% and IVC at 67%. However, in group D, there was an almost doubled chance of saving the globe with IAC than with IVC, Shields said.

The majority of children with unilateral retinoblastoma —75% of cases — have group D or E eyes, Shields said.

While there were no cases of metastasis or death in the children treated in this study, there have been published reports of cerebral vasospasm and metastatic disease, she said.

“In answer to the question, ‘For unilateral retinoblastoma intravenous vs. intra-arterial chemotherapy, who wins?’ It’s hands down, IAC wins,” Shields said. – by Rebecca L. Forand

Reference:

Shields C. Intra-arterial chemotherapy versus intravenous chemotherapy for unilateral retinoblastoma. Who wins? Presented at: American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus annual meeting; April 2-6, 2017; Nashville, Tenn.

Shields et al. Asia Pac J Ophthalmol. 2016;doi:10.1097/APO.0000000000000172.

Disclosure: Shields reports no relevant financial disclosures.