The effect of cancer therapies on pediatric anophthalmic sockets

To determine the impact of chemotherapy or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) on pediatric anophthalmic sockets.

A retrospective, nonrandomized, interventional cohort study.

A total of 135 sockets of 133 children undergoing enucleation from late 1999 to early 2009 at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital were included.

A retrospective chart review of outcomes after enucleation in patients treated with systemic chemotherapy or orbital EBRT either before or after removal of the eye compared with patients who received no other treatment.

Incidence of implant exposure, migration, extrusion, socket contracture, and pyogenic granuloma formation.

Retinoblastoma was the primary diagnosis in 128 eyes (95%). Median follow-up was 3.6 years (range, 0.1-9.3 years). Event-free course was observed in 94 sockets (69.6%). Complications included implant exposure (n = 28, 20.7%), socket contracture (n = 16, 11.9%), pyogenic granuloma (n = 9, 6.7%), implant extrusion (n = 3, 2.2%), and migration (n = 2, 1.5%). Exposure resolved in 21 sockets (77.8%) and improved in 2 sockets (11.1%); 1 patient with exposure died. Use of prior, adjuvant, or subsequent chemotherapy increased the long-term risk of exposure (odds ratio [OR] = 3.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-9.4), and contracture (OR could not be calculated, P<0.0001). External beam radiotherapy greatly increased the risk of contracture (OR 24.0; 95% CI, 6.9-82.8) and exposure (OR 2.89; 95% CI, 1.1-7.9).

In this unique pediatric population with cancer, chemotherapy and EBRT had an additive effect, significantly increasing the incidence of exposure and socket contracture.

The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.