Re: Radiotherapy for retinoblastoma

Posted By HFHS M.D.-JL on February 17, 1999 at 11:02:05:

In Reply to: Radiotherapy for retinoblastoma posted by Linda on February 16, 1999 at 21:38:18:






A five-yr old child was treated by radiotherapy for unilateral
retinoblastoma, then ultimately by enucleation. The other eye
now has a cataract, secondary to radiation. My question is--if
the radiotherapy was properly done, either EBRT or brachytherapy,
should the untreated eye have been affected at all?






How do you know for sure that the cataract was induced by the radiation?  Was the child given any chemotherapy for the retinoblastoma that could have precipitated a cataract.  Trauma is a common cause of cataracts in children as well.  Certainly it is possible that the radiation could have induced the cataract.  Radiation therapist are very sensitive to protecting the eyes when they can.  You could ask the therapist whether the other eye was shielded.  Sometimes it is difficult to completely shield the other eye because of the direction of the radiation beam necessary to treat the tumor.  
Nevertheless, cataract surgery is very successful today, even in children and the child has an excellent prognosis.
This information was provided for medical educational purposes only.  Please consult your doctor for any questions.
Sincerely,
HFHS M.D.-JL
*Keywords: retinoblastoma, cataract