Current Clinical Trials

The prognosis for a patient with recurrent or progressive retinoblastoma depends on the site and extent of the recurrence or progression. With the use of systemic chemotherapy, without radiation therapy or enucleation, recurrence is not uncommon and generally occurs in the first 6 months following therapy. Risk factors for recurrence include larger tumor size or thickness at original diagnosis, Reese-Ellsworth Group V disease, younger age at diagnosis, and family history of retinoblastoma.[1-5] When the recurrence or progression of retinoblastoma is confined to the eye and is small, the prognosis for sight and survival may be excellent with local therapy only. If the recurrence or progression is confined to the eye but is extensive, the prognosis for sight is poor; however, the survival remains excellent. If the recurrence or progression is extraocular, the chance of survival is probably less than 50%. In this circumstance, the treatment depends on many factors and individual patient considerations; clinical trials may be appropriate and should be considered.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with recurrent retinoblastoma. The list of clinical trials can be further narrowed by location, drug, intervention, and other criteria.

General information about clinical trials is also available from the NCI Web site.

References

1. Shields CL, Honavar SG, Shields JA, et al.: Factors predictive of recurrence of retinal tumors, vitreous seeds, and subretinal seeds following chemoreduction for retinoblastoma. Arch Ophthalmol 120 (4): 460-4, 2002.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
2. Gombos DS, Kelly A, Coen PG, et al.: Retinoblastoma treated with primary chemotherapy alone: the significance of tumour size, location, and age. Br J Ophthalmol 86 (1): 80-3, 2002.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
3. Shields CL, Shelil A, Cater J, et al.: Development of new retinoblastomas after 6 cycles of chemoreduction for retinoblastoma in 162 eyes of 106 consecutive patients. Arch Ophthalmol 121 (11): 1571-6, 2003.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
4. Lee TC, Hayashi NI, Dunkel IJ, et al.: New retinoblastoma tumor formation in children initially treated with systemic carboplatin. Ophthalmology 110 (10): 1989-94; discussion 1994-5, 2003.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
5. Wilson MW, Haik BG, Billups CA, et al.: Incidence of new tumor formation in patients with hereditary retinoblastoma treated with primary systemic chemotherapy: is there a preventive effect? Ophthalmology 114 (11): 2077-82, 2007.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   

Back to Top

< Previous Section  |  Next Section >