Intra-arterial Melphalan in Treating Younger Patients With Unilateral Retinoblastoma

This pilot clinical trial studies whether unilateral group D retinoblastoma, or retinoblastoma affecting one eye that has spread to the inner jelly like part of the eye, can be treated with a new technique for delivering chemotherapy directly into the blood vessel that supplies the affected eye. This new technique is called intra-arterial injection. Giving melphalan via intra-arterial injection may make it less likely that children will need surgery to remove the eye and may reduce the amount of treatment side effects.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

1. To study the feasibility of delivering melphalan directly into the ophthalmic artery in children with newly diagnosed unilateral group D retinoblastoma, who would otherwise be considered for enucleation.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

1. To estimate the ocular salvage rate after treatment with intra-arterial melphalan in children with newly diagnosed unilateral retinoblastoma with group D disease.

II. To evaluate the toxicities and adverse events associated with delivering multiple doses of intra-arterial chemotherapy.

III. To evaluate vision outcomes in children treated with intra-arterial chemotherapy.

IV. To monitor the rate of the development of metastatic disease while on protocol therapy.

TERTIARY OBJECTIVES:

1. To evaluate the effects of intra-arterial therapy on the histopathology of eyes enucleated for progression.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive melphalan intra-arterially (IA) on day 1. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months for 1 year, every 4 months for 1 year, every 6 months for 1 year, and then periodically for 2 years.