Retinoblastoma

Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are conducting numerous research studies that will help clinicians better understand and treat retinoblastoma and other pediatric solid tumors.

The Dana-Farber/Children's Transplant Program is one of only eight institutions around the country that are investigating the use of umbilical cord transplantation. Also under study is a new method for preventing graft versus host disease, a serious complication that occurs when the transplant recipient’s cells do not recognize the new cells and react against them. The result of this treatment approach, if it continues to be as successful, will be that the degree of match between donor and the recipient will not need to be particularly close, which means more potential donors for each patient. This could also eliminate the need for long-term drug therapy that has traditionally been needed to treat graft versus host disease.

Other types of treatment currently being studied include:

• angiogenesis inhibitors—substances that may be able to prevent the growth of tumors by blocking the formation of new blood vessels that feed the tumors
• biological therapies—a wide range of substances that may be able to involve the body's own immune system to fight cancer or lessen harmful side effects of some treatment

Read more about research at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center.