What are the consequences of radiation treatment?
When radioactive plaque therapy is successful, the tumor stops growing and may shrink over the course of 6 to 12 months. The patient keeps his or her own eye and, in favorable circumstances, when the tumor responds well and is located away from the most important parts of the eye, the tumor is destroyed and the patient may be able to see with the eye. Radiation from a radioactive plaque does not always destroy or inactivate the tumor. The tumor may grow and the eye may have to be removed at a later time. Delaying removal of the eye may allow the tumor to spread elsewhere in the body. Radioactive plaque therapy requires two operations. Risks during surgery are similar to those described earlier for enucleation surgery. Compared to enucleation, there are added costs for a second operation, for the radioactive plaque, and for a longer hospital stay. Radiation almost always damages some healthy parts of the eye. Radiation damage to the blood vessels of the retina (radiation retinopathy) or