Treating Eye Cancer


Several treatment options are available for eye cancer. Many of the choices are the same as for other forms of cancer. However, research has found a few alternatives that can be used in lieu of more traditional methods. Below are some examples of these treatments.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is sometimes used alone or in conjunction with other treatment methods. With this approach, radiation is used to destroy the parts of the cells that lead to the dividing. This stops the spread of the cancer. Unfortunately, radiation cannot distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells in your eye. Some vision loss may be the result. Typically, radiation is used only with medium to large size tumours.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is generally combined with another treatment, too. With this method, you are given chemicals and medications that literally poison the body in an effort to kill off the cancerous cells. Again, these chemicals don’t differentiate between the healthy and non-healthy cells so the result can be nausea, hair loss, and weakness.

Chemotherapy drops are a newer method of treating eye cancer. The chemicals are placed in the eye directly so they can attack the tumour in a more targeted way.

Eye Surgery

Surgery is probably the most common treatment for eye cancer. Most physicians will recommend the removal of tumours in and around the eye. Any time the human eye is operated on the risk of partial or full vision loss is going to be present. The physician will take measures to minimize this risk and will remove as little of the eye as possible.

Eye Removal

Eye Removal is sometimes the only option for people with eye cancer. Large tumours that would require the removal of much of the eye anyway or tumours that have done a great deal of damage to the eye already or tumours that may have begun to spread throughout the eye may warrant the full removal of the eyeball. Normally a prosthetic is inserted into the socket instead.

If you hear that you may lose part of your vision or that you may lose one of your eyes as part of the treatment, you are likely to feel very anxious about treatment. Unfortunately, eye cancer does not go away on its own. With melanoma and some other types of cancer, going without treatment may lead to metastasis, meaning the cancer cells may begin to spread throughout the body through the bloodstream or through the lymphatic system. If those cancer cells reach the lungs, the liver, or the brain, the results are very serious. Further, cancer that has spread is likely to be more difficult to treat and the outcomes of that treatment are less likely to bring about desirable consequences. 

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