MINSK, 5 April (BelTA) – Belarusian ocular oncologists together with endovascular surgeons have mastered a new method of treating retinoblastoma in children, chief freelance ophthalmologist of the Healthcare Ministry, head of the department of ophthalmology at the Belarusian medical academy of postgraduate education Tatyana Imshenetskaya told the media, BelTA has learned.
Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are used to treat children with retinoblastoma. In bad cases the eye is removed. The new technology helps keep the eye and residual vision, which improves the quality of the child's life.
The new method was named “super selective intra-arterial chemotherapy in the treatment of retinoblastoma”. The method is based on providing the substance that destroys cancer directly to the center of the cancer, the ophthalmic artery. This type of surgery was earlier conducted only in two countries: Germany and Switzerland. Two Belarusian specialists underwent the corresponding training in Essen, Germany.
The new technology has already been used to perform surgeries on three children. Four more are awaiting for the surgery.
