Harbour says it takes several weeks to months to see the tumor start to melt away, but in both ocular melanoma and retinoblastoma, the plaques usually deal the cancer a fatal blow.
"The radiation causes damage within the cancer cells that prevents them from proliferating and spreading," he says. "By the time we take off the plaque, the cancer cells are either dead or mortally wounded, even though we do not immediately see a difference in the appearance of the tumor. After the plaque therapy, as the cancer cells try to proliferate and divide, those cells die, which we then notice in follow-up exams as the tumor shrinks over time."
Harbour still begins retinoblastoma treatment with chemotherapy, but when tumors are too big or unresponsive, the plaques provide a new option that has delivered positive results. Some children even can return to 20/20 vision depending on the size and location of the tumor, he says.
An ophthalmologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is implanting radioactive discs in the eyes of children with a rare cancer in an attempt to save their vision and their eyes. One of only a few doctors in the nation using this approach, J. William Harbour, MD, is treating a rare childhood cancer, called retinoblastoma, which is characterized by tumors in the eye's retina. In the United States, about 200 children each year are diagnosed with the disorder. Harbour, the director of ocular oncology at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, has recently started using the method to treat the cancer and possibly save the eyes.
(Photo Credit: Washington University in St. Louis)
Retinoblastoma patient Savannah Smith and her mother, Courtney, before a recent appointment with J. William Harbour, M.D., at the Center for Advanced Medicine. Savannah had a radioactive plaque implanted Feb. 26 at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
(Photo Credit: Robert Boston Washington University School of Medicine)