Mangaluru: Father Muller Medical College Hospital (FMMCH) has successfully performed Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy (IAC) for a eight month old child diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer affecting young children. The surgery was conducted in the second week of Oct and has shown considerable improvement during their routine visit last week.
Retinoblastoma is a potentially life-threatening cancer that develops in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. In advanced cases, surgical removal of the affected eye may become necessary to control the disease. Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy offers an innovative, minimally invasive alternative in selected patients, with the potential to preserve the affected eye. The child’s treatment journey began under the care of Dr Harsha Prasad, Consultant Paediatric Haemato-Oncologist at KMC Hospital, who evaluated the child and initiated systemic chemotherapy for retinoblastoma involving both eyes. Subsequently, Prof. Dr Sripathi Kamath, Ophthalmologist, successfully treated the tumour in the opposite eye with a curative eye-directed procedure However, the tumour in the other eye required additional specialised treatment; Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy (IAC) to further reduce the tumour burden and improve the chances of preserving the affected eye. Two weeks after the IAC procedure, the child underwent intravitreal chemotherapy, in which anticancer medication is carefully injected directly into the eye to target residual tumour cells, particularly those within the vitreous cavity. This procedure was led by Prof. Dr Sripathi Kamath, supported by Prof. Dr Sunayana Bhat and the Department of Ophthalmology at FMMCH.The child is currently doing well, with an encouraging response to treatment.