Treatment of Unilateral, Bilateral, and Cavitary Retinoblastoma

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

If it is likely that the eye can be saved, treatment may include the following:

• Systemic chemotherapy or ophthalmic artery infusion chemotherapy, with or without intravitreal chemotherapy, to shrink the tumor. This may be followed by one or more of the following:
  • Cryotherapy.
  • Thermotherapy.
  • Plaque radiotherapy.
• External-beam radiation therapy for bilateral intraocular retinoblastoma that does not respond to other treatments.

If the tumor is large and it is not likely that the eye can be saved, treatment may include the following:

• Surgery (enucleation). After surgery, systemic chemotherapy may be given to lower the risk that the cancer will spread to other parts of the body.

When retinoblastoma is in both eyes, the treatment for each eye may be different, depending on the size of the tumor and whether it is likely that the eye can be saved. The dose of systemic chemotherapy is usually based on the eye that has more cancer.

Patients with cavitary retinoblastoma respond well to treatment and have favorable long-term outcomes, similar to patients with noncavitary retinoblastoma.