The back of your eyes are lined with a thin layer of nerve tissue called the retina, which allows you to sense the presence of light. If cancerous cells form within the retinal tissues, you can be diagnosed with a condition referred to as retinoblastoma. Symptoms of retinoblastoma include eye pain or abnormal, white-colored pupils. If you are diagnosed with retinoblastoma, there are a number of treatment options available to you, which you should discuss with your doctor.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that utilizes specific drugs that target and destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapeutic drugs help stop the growth of cancer cells by preventing them from multiplying. This type of therapy is traditionally administered intravenously (IV) or orally and requires recurrent treatment over several months in order to be effective.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to prevent cancer cells from growing. Retinal cancer cells can be targeted indirectly (external radiation therapy) or directly (internal radiation therapy), depending upon the stage of the retinoblastoma.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy--which is also referred to as cryosurgery by the National Cancer Institute--destroys abnormal, cancerous tissue by utilizing a specific surgical instrument to freeze these sections of tissue.
Thermotherapy
Thermotherapy is a procedure that utilizes a laser, ultrasound, infrared radiation or microwaves to apply heat to regions of tissue that contain cancer cells. The heat is able to destroy the cancerous tissue.
Enucleation
Enucleation is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of the eye and any portion of the optic nerve that contains the cancerous cells. This type of treatment is typically performed if the retinoblastoma tumor is large and the patient's vision cannot be saved. After this procedure is performed, the National Cancer Institute explains that the patient will be fitted for an artificial eye.
Photocoagulation
Photocoagulation is a type of cancer treatment that involves the destruction of blood vessels that provide blood to the retinoblastoma tumor. A laser light is used to damage the blood vessels, which prevents blood from flowing into the tumor and causes the tumor cells to die.
