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Local Treatment (Cryotherapy, Laser Therapy, and Brachytherapy)
Source: Retinoblastoma Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: April 3, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary.
Context: Treatment Option Overview for Retinoblastoma
For patients undergoing eye-salvage treatments, aggressive local therapy is always required. Local treatment is administered by the ophthalmologist directly to the tumor.
Cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is based on the application of a cryoprobe to the sclera in the immediate vicinity of the retinal tumor. Cryotherapy is used as primary therapy or with chemotherapy for tumors smaller than 4 disc diameters (DD) in the anterior portion of the retina.
Laser therapy. Laser therapy may be used as primary therapy for small tumors or in combination with chemotherapy for larger tumors. Traditional photocoagulation (argon laser), in which the laser was applied around the tumor to target the tumor vasculature, has given way to thermotherapy (diode laser). Thermotherapy is delivered directly to the tumor surface via infrared wavelengths of light.[7,8]
Brachytherapy (plaque radiation therapy). For larger tumors that are not amenable to cryotherapy or laser therapy, brachytherapy can provide an effective means for local control. For more information, see the Radiation Therapy section.
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