Success of intra-arterial chemotherapy (chemosurgery) for retinoblastoma: effect of orbitovascular anatomy.

OBJECTIVES

To review results of orbital angiography performed during intra-arterial chemotherapy (chemosurgery) for treatment of retinoblastoma to assess the association of angiographic variability in orbitovascular anatomy with tumor response and outcomes.

METHODS

Medical records and 64 orbital angiograms were reviewed for 56 pediatric patients with retinoblastoma undergoing chemosurgery using a combination of melphalan hydrochloride, topotecan hydrochloride, or carboplatin. The major orbital arteries and capillary blush patterns were graded, and tumor response and recurrence were compared using the log-rank and Fisher exact tests.

RESULTS

Statistically significant variables for tumor response were lacrimal artery prominence (P = .001), previous treatment (P = .003), and lacrimal blush (P = .004). The only statistically significant variable for vitreous seed response was ciliary body blush (P = .03). Statistically significant variables influencing time to recurrence and time to enucleation were choroidal blush absence (P = .01) and lacrimal artery presence (P = .03), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The success of intra-arterial chemotherapy is dependent on delivery of drug to the target tumor within the eye via the ophthalmic artery. Because of the small volume of drug used (0.50-1.25 mL per treatment) and the selectivity of catheterization, variables affecting orbital blood flow greatly influence drug delivery and the success of chemosurgery.