Extended surgical interventions in children with retinoblastoma invasion into the optic nerve

Introduction. Standard eye enucleation (EE) may not always guarantee a sufficient length of resection of the optic nerve (ON) so that the tumor cells do not spread along the optic nerve at the intersection line. Surgical access and the scope of surgical intervention are determined by the spread and localization of the tumor, as well as the qualification of the operating team.

Purpose — to evaluate the role of extended surgical interventions in the spread of extraocular tumors on the ON.

Materials and methods. The study included 9 patients with retinoblastoma (RB) and macroinvasion of the ON during primary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or micromorphological invasion of the ON resection line after EE. 4 of the 9 patients were treated with primary/secondary EE, induction chemotherapy (CT) and high-dose CT (HDCT), radiation therapy (RT). 5 out of 9 patients underwent secondary extended surgical interventions: exenteration of the orbit (n = 1), osteoplastic lateral orbitotomy with precanal resection of the ON (n = 2) in combination with EE in one case, subfrontal craniotomy (n = 1) and orbitozygomatic craniotomy (n = 1) with prechiasmal resection of the ON and EE with adjuvant RT (excluding the latter case) and CT, without HDCT.

Results. It should be noted that the overall survival (OS) of 5 patients with complete microscopic resection (R0) after extended secondary operations was 75 ± 0.217 % with an average follow-up period of 77.25 ± 18.8 months, while in 4 patients with R1 (n = 4) without secondary extended operations with HDCT reached only 50 ± 0.25 % with an average follow-up period of 57 ± 24.8 months.

Conclusion. MRI is mandatory for the primary diagnosis of RB, especially when there is a risk of the tumor spreading through the ON. Secondary surgery with R0-resection has a positive effect on survival. The need for adjuvant RT and CT after surgery should be discussed.

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