Retinoblastoma Center
The Retinoblastoma Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of the nation's leading centers for sophisticated multidisciplinary care of children with newly diagnosed and relapsed retinoblastoma. The Retinoblastoma Center at Cincinnati Children's offers a full spectrum of technologically advanced medical, surgical and diagnostic services for children and their families. The center is a joint effort with the Division of Ophthalmology of the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Cincinnati Children's is at the forefront of innovative ophthalmic and oncologic therapies for newly diagnosed and relapsed retinoblastoma. Cincinnati Children’s is also a referral center for particularly complex retinoblastoma patients. The Cincinnati Children's Retinoblastoma Center continues research efforts to develop and implement innovative treatments for children with high risk disease.
The Retinoblastoma Center builds upon national leading programs at Cincinnati Children's in pediatric anti-cancer drug development, advanced ophthalmic and radiology capabilities. The Retinoblastoma Center is a major primary oncology care and referral center of the national Children's Oncology Group.
Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Team Approach
At Cincinnati Children's, children with retinoblastoma are cared for by a multidisciplinary team led by oncologists and ophthalmologists. Whether newly diagnosed, relapsed, or in the midst of treatment, all patients and their families referred to Cincinnati Children's Retinoblastoma Center receive a comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment and individualized treatment recommendations. Our multidisciplinary team focuses clinical expertise and laboratory research perspective in comprehensive leading-edge cancer care and new anti-cancer therapies. Collectively, experts from numerous areas of specialty offer children and their families optimal care.
Our retinoblastoma physician team features specialists with experience in the care of children with retinoblastoma, including:
- Oncology medical specialists
- Oncologic ophthalmologists
- Radiation therapists
- Geneticists
- Radiologists
- Pathologists
- Physical medicine and Neurodevelopmental specialists
Teamwork to provide comprehensive patient care is coordinated through the guidance of retinoblastoma specialty nurse coordinators, and related staff sophisticated in social and family support, nutrition, play therapy, music therapy, school re-entry, and coordination with referring pediatricians and family doctors.
Retinoblastoma Research
The Retinoblastoma Center offers state-of-the art care for children with newly diagnosed, relapsed or refractory retinoblastoma, and is a major referral center for clinical research of the national Children's Oncology Group.
Current comprehensive multidisciplinary treatment options are available for all newly diagnosed children with retinoblastoma, incorporating front-line chemotherapy in combination with local ophthalmic therapies (laser photocoagulation, cyrotherapy, thermotherapy and radioactive plaque therapy). Focally directed chemotherapy is available for children with advanced bilateral disease and for children with recurrent / refractory intra-ocular disease.
- Low stage bilateral intra-ocular retinoblastoma
- Advanced stage bilateral intra-ocular retinoblastoma
- Unilateral intra-ocular retinoblastoma
- Extra-ocular retinoblastoma
- Recurrent / refractory intra-ocular retinoblastoma
Novel therapies considered for recurrent/refractory retinoblastoma, on an individual basis, include:
- Combination therapy with subtenon (ophthalmic) directed chemotherapy
- Novel targeted anti-cancer agents
- Intravenous chemotherapy
- Additional locally directed ophthalmic therapies
Conformal radiation approaches lessen the late effect potential of external beam radiation therapy, when such therapy is necessary.
In addition, active research is being conducted at Cincinnati Children's to develop new therapies for retinoblastoma, including targeted and intralesional (focal) anti-cancer therapy approaches.
Retinoblastoma Translational Research Faculty
