Radiation treats eye tumors in children

Radiation treats eye tumors in children

A tumor of the eye, such as retinoblastoma , is usually found in children under the age of two. In this case, the tumor usually affects both eyes, causing a high risk of blindness. The incidence of retinoblastoma is not high, but the disease is very severe.

All methods of treating the disease are complex in nature and include therapy with chemotherapy drugs and the use of laser treatment and cold therapy. But it often happens that the malignant neoplasm does not respond to the therapy. In addition, late-stage tumors do not respond to this treatment.

A professor at the Washington Medical Center has developed a unique method of treating eye tumors in children using strictly dosed radiation. The treatment is based on the use of a small solid gold disc with microscopic particles of a radioactive compound on one side. When the eye is exposed to radiation, it gathers in one focus. 

The disc is placed in the eye of a sick child who is under general anesthesia at the time of the procedure. After three days, the disc is removed from the eye. Radiation beams destroy tumor cells. The new technique makes it possible not only to cure a serious illness, but also to preserve the eyesight of the little patient, since with other methods it was often impossible to save the eyesight. 

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