Treatments for retinoblastoma

A child diagnosed with retinoblastoma will have a treatment plan created just for them by their healthcare team. The plan is based on your childʼs health and specific information about the cancer. The goals of treating retinoblastoma are to cure the cancer, preserve as much vision as possible and lower the risk of late side effects (called late effects).

When deciding which treatments to offer for retinoblastoma, the healthcare team will consider:

• if the cancer is in 1 eye (called unilateral retinoblastoma) or both eyes (called bilateral retinoblastoma)
• the stage of the cancer
• the location, size and number of tumours in the eye
• if the cancer has spread outside the eye (called extraocular retinoblastoma)
• the vision in each eye
• your child’s overall health and if your child has any other health conditions
• if the cancer has come back (recurred) or has continued to grow, spread or gotten worse

The goals of treatment for retinoblastoma are to save the affected eye or eyes and to improve or preserve vision as much as possible.

Chemotherapy is the main treatment for retinoblastoma. A combination of treatments is often used to treat retinoblastoma, including chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy.

Treatment is given in a pediatric cancer centre. The healthcare team includes several specialists, such as radiologists, pediatric oncologists, pediatric opthalmologists, pathologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists and nurses. Other support staff are also available, such as child life specialists, social workers and genetic counsellors.

Find out more about your child’s healthcare team, helping your child cope and tips on managing your childʼs care.