What are the treatment options for retinoblastoma?

• A. Radiation therapy or removal of the eye
• B. Antibiotics
• C. Vitamin supplementation
• D. Eye patch only

Answer: (A)

Retinoblastoma is a malignant tumor of the retina, so the treatment goal is to eliminate cancer tissue and prevent spread, often by removing the affected eye or by destroying tumor cells with radiation. Removing the eye (enucleation) is used when the disease is advanced or when vision in that eye cannot be saved. Radiation therapy can shrink or kill tumor cells while preserving the eye when feasible. Antibiotics and vitamin supplements do not affect cancer cells and won’t cure the tumor, and simply patching the eye does not address the cancer itself. In some cases, chemotherapy can shrink tumors to allow focal therapies, but those options aren’t reflected in the other choices. So the appropriate treatment options among the listed ones are radiation therapy or removal of the eye.