What is Eye Cancer Treatment?
BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery), 6 years of experience
What is the meaning of Eye Cancer?
Eye cancer is the cancer that can start in any part of the eye. This happens when the healthy cells around the eyes grow uncontrollably, forming a mass or tumor. This tumor may be benign or cancerous. Eye cancer forming in the eyeball ( intraocular cancer ), is a common variant of eye cancer.
Eye doctors can diagnose and treat the various types of eye cancer. Eye has 3 main parts- Eyeball, Orbit (eye socket) and adrenal structures such as eyelids and tear glands. The layers of the eye are- sclera, retina and uvea. Retina and uvea have blood vessels. Uvea is made up of- iris, ciliary body and choroid.
The symptoms can range from mild loss of vision, to black spots to complete blindness. The treatments of eye cancer can be surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, laser therapy or combination therapy.
Let us tell you in detail about eye cancer and the treatments of eye cancer-
- What are the types of eye cancer?
- What are the causes for eye cancer?
- What are the symptoms of eye cancer?
- How to diagnose eye cancer?
- What are the treatments for eye cancer?
- What are the complications of eye cancer treatment?
- What is the cost of eye cancer treatment in India?
What are the types of eye cancer?
The most common eye cancer is – Uveal cancer, which has spread from other cancer sites to the eye (secondary cancer). The following are the primary intraocular or eye cancer ( tumor that starts in the eyes)-
- Intraocular melanoma ( most common type in adults, melanocytes are the cells that grow uncontrollably, also known as uveal melanoma )
- Intraocular lymphoma ( rare type, most are the non-hodgkin’s lymphoma type, begins in the eyeball )
- Retinoblastoma ( rare childhood eye cancer )
- Hemangioma ( this starts in the blood vessels of the choroid of the eye )
- Conjunctival melanoma( begins in the conjunctiva covering the eyeball and eyelid, can spread to lymph nodes, can recur after treatment and appears as black spots on the eye )
- Eyelid carcinoma (type of skin cancer, is surgically removed )
- Lacrimal gland tumor ( can be benign or malignant tumor of the tear glands )
( Know more about- What is Cataract? Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention )
What are the causes for eye cancer?
The exact cause of eye cancer is still to be found, however it occurs due to genetic mutations in the DNA of the healthy eye cells. This leads to uncontrolled growth of the eye cells forming tumor mass.
The risk factors that may cause eye cancer in patients are-
- Blue or green eye colored people have higher risk of eye cancer
- Risk increases with age of person
- White populations has higher risk of eye cancer
- Inherited / Genetic disorders like Dysplastic nevi syndrome ( where abnormal moles grow all over the body ) increase the chances of skin and eye cancer. Also people with ocular melanocytosis (abnormal skin pigmentation of the eyelids, surrounding tissues, uvea pigmentation) have more risk of eye cancer
- UV light exposures may increase the risk of eye cancer
- Family history ( if genes are passed down from the parents )
( Know more about- What is Blurred vision? Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, Prevention )
What are the symptoms of eye cancer?
The symptoms of eye cancer are-
- Painless complete loss of vision
- Difficulty in seeing
- Loss of part of vision
- Flashes of light are seen
- Seeing dark spots, unclear lines, floating objects
- Dark spots on the eye iris ( incase of iris melanoma )
( Know more about- What is itching in the eyes? Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention )
How to diagnose eye cancer?
The factors like- age, type of cancer, signs and symptoms, past tests results, are considered when the doctor decides the diagnostic tests.
Following tests are done, after the complete physical examination, medical history,etc-
- Eye examination ( cancer is detected during routine eye test, ophthalmoscope and slit lamp is used to check the eye.
- Ultrasound ( used to get pictures of the eye )
- Fluorescein angiography (fluorescein dye is injected into the arm of patient, this moves up to the blood vessels at the back of the eye, then pictures are taken of the eye to detect cancer)
- Fine needle biopsy (here cancer cells are removed from the eye using a fine needle, then examined under the microscope)
- Cytogenetics and gene expression profiling ( this is done to know the chances of patient recovery after the treatment, profiling tests are done using the tissue sample taken during biopsy )
- Tests to check the spread of eye cancer ( tests like liver functions tests, blood tests are done to check for any spread to liver or other organs)
- Imaging tests ( CT, CAT, MRI scans are done to get detailed images of the internal structures of the eye, tumor location and size )
- PET Scan ( another imaging test done to get clear pictures of the inside of eye, where radioactive substance is used, also used to detect the spread to lung by taking chest x rays )
( Know more about- What is a Corneal Transplant? Purpose, Procedure, Aftercare, Cost )
What are the treatments for eye cancer?
Once the diagnosis of eye cancer is done, the doctors discuss the treatment options with the patients. The doctor team includes- ophthalmologist, ocular oncologist, radiation and surgical oncologist.
The team chooses the best treatment option for the patient based on factors like- location, stage, type of cancer, age of the patient, overall health, long term treatment success and side effects of treatments on the vision of the patient.
Following are the treatments for the eye cancer-
- Surgery – Less commonly used as other methods are more common, this is done under general anesthesia ( deep sleep state). The types of surgeries are-
- Iridectomy ( small part of iris is removed incase of small iris melanoma )
- Irido Trabeculectomy( small part of iris and small part of eyeball is removed)
- Iridocyclectomy ( small part of iris and ciliary body is removed)
- Transscleral resection ( only the tumor or cancer tissue is removed without damaging other eye structures, high precision expertise is needed)
- Enucleation( entire eyeball is removed, used to treat widespread large tumors, orbital implant is placed in position of eyeball over which artificial eye is later placed )
- Orbital exenteration ( eyeball and surrounding structures like parts of eyelids, muscles, nerves, other tissues of the socket are removed )
Radiation therapy- Here high energy X rays are used to kill cancer cells. This saves the vision of the eye and is better than surgery treatment options. The different types are-
- Brachytherapy ( plaque therapy)- here a small plaque( small round piece of metal that has the radioactive seeds ) is surgically placed near the eye tumor for 4-7 days. These radiation from these seeds kills the cancer cells. After 7 days this plaque is removed. This is the most common radiation therapy used.
- External beam radiation therapy- Here radiation energy is directed at the tumor from outside the body. Narrow beams of radiation are directed only specifically to the tumor cells.
- Proton beam radiation therapy – Here proton beams are used to kill cancer cells, these cause little damage to other eye structures and have better impact on the cancer cells.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery- this technique uses large doses of radiation beams to specific cancer tissues in a single session. Gamma knife, Cyberknife are 2 ways of this technique.
Laser therapy– 2 types of therapy are-
- a) Transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT)- Common type, uses heat of infrared light to kill the tumor.
- b) Laser photocoagulation- here high energy light beams are used to burn the tumor tissue.
- Chemotherapy– Here the drugs to treat eye cancer are given by injecting directly into the tumor, or injecting into veins(IV) or is given by mouth ( as pill ). The last two ways help to treat cancers that have spread to other parts of the body.
- Targeted therapy- Used in uveal melanomas and conjunctival melanoma, where specific drugs that target the genetic changes in the cancer cells, are used.
- Immunotherapy- Used in eye melanomas, here drugs to activate the immune system of the body is used. These activated immune cells then attack and kill the cancer cells.
( Know more about- What is Skull Base Surgery? Purpose, Procedure, Risks, Cost )
What are the complications of eye cancer treatment?
- Risks of surgery- Pain, bleeding from eye, blood clots in eye, eye infections and allergic reactions to anesthesia, loss of vision ( partial or complete), change in appearance.
- Risks of radiation therapy- Blurry vision, dryness in eyes, cataracts, retinal detachment, glaucoma, eye lashes are lost, bleeding in eye, tear glands getting damaged,etc.
- Risks of laser therapy- Loss of vision
- Risks of chemotherapy- Hair loss, mouth ulcers, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, easy bruising and bleeding, increased rate of infections in body.
( Know more about- Home remedies to increase brightness of the eye )
What is the cost of eye cancer treatment in India?
The total cost of eye cancer treatment in India can range from around INR 15,00,000 to INR 25,00,000. However, the cost of the procedure may vary across different hospitals. There are many big hospitals and specialized doctors in India for eye cancer treatments. The cost varies across different hospitals.
If you are coming from abroad, in addition to the expenses of eye cancer treatment, there will be a cost of staying in a hotel, cost of living, and cost of local travel. Apart from this, after the procedure, the patient is kept in hospital for 5 days and in the hotel for 15 days for recovery. So, the total cost of eye cancer treatment in India comes to be around INR 18,00,000 to INR 27,00,000.
We hope that all your questions regarding eye cancer treatment have been answered through this article.
If you want to get more information and eye cancer treatment, then immediately contact a Surgical Oncologist.
We only aim to give you information through this article and do not recommend medication or treatment in any way. Only a doctor can give you the best advice and correct treatment plan.
