Radiation therapy for retinoblastoma
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells.
Radiation therapy is sometimes used to treat retinoblastoma. The healthcare team will use what they know about the cancer and about your child’s health to plan the type and amount of radiation and when and how itʼs given.
Radiation therapy may be used to:
- destroy cancer cells in the body
- relieve pain or control the symptoms of advanced retinoblastoma (called palliative therapy)
The following types of radiation therapy are most commonly used to treat retinoblastoma.
Brachytherapy (plaque therapy)
Brachytherapy (also called plaque therapy) is a type of internal radiation therapy. A container shaped like a bottle cap (called a plaque) that contains small radioactive particles (called seeds) is placed on the surface of the eye. The radiation kills the cancer cells over time. The plaque is usually made of gold or another metal to protect the tissue around it from exposure to radiation.
Your child will be given a general
Brachytherapy is often used to treat small- to medium-sized tumours.
External radiation therapy
During external radiation therapy, a machine directs radiation through the skin to the tumour and some of the tissue around it. External radiation therapy is also called external beam radiation therapy.
External radiation therapy is not used very often anymore because having it at such a young age increases the risk of late side effects (late effects), including the risk of second cancers. External radiation therapy may be used to treat retinoblastoma that has spread outside of the eye (called extraocular retinoblastoma), retinoblastoma that hasn’t responded to other treatments and retinoblastoma that has come back (called recurrent retinoblastoma). Itʼs also sometimes used to treat trilateral retinoblastoma. Trilateral retinoblastoma is when a tumour in the pineal gland in the brain (called a pineoblastoma) develops along with heritable retinoblastoma in 1 or both eyes (bilateral retinoblastoma).
Side effects of radiation therapy
During radiation therapy, the healthcare team protects healthy cells in the treatment area as much as possible. Side effects of radiation therapy will depend mainly on the size of the area being treated, the specific area being treated, the total dose of radiation and the treatment schedule.
Tell the healthcare team if your child has any side effects that you think are from radiation therapy. The sooner you tell them of any problems, the sooner they can suggest ways to help your child deal with them.
These are common side effects of radiation therapy for retinoblastoma:
- clouding of the lens of the eye (called cataracts)
- a sunken eyeball or change in eyelid position
- inflammation of the cornea or conjunctiva
- dry eyes
- damage to the retina (called radiation retinopathy)
- bleeding from the eye
- increased pressure in the eye (called glaucoma) that can lead to blindness
- vision problems
- loss of hair in the treated area (eyelashes or eyebrows)
- fatigue
- skin problems
- delayed growth of bones and tissues around the eye, particularly with external radiation therapy
- second cancers, particularly with external radiation therapy
Other side effects can develop months or years after treatment for retinoblastoma (called late effects). Find out more about late effects of treatments for retinoblastoma.
Find out more about radiation therapy
Find out more about radiation therapy and side effects of radiation therapy. To make the decisions that are right for your child, ask the healthcare team questions about radiation therapy.
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