Improved therapy for eye tumors creates hope at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Improved therapy for eye tumors creates hope at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
2023-02-07
Doctors at Chang Gung Memorial hospital in Linkou have a new treatment for eye tumors. A malignant tumor in the eye is a very rare condition. It traditionally required the eye to be removed. But now, thanks to proton therapy, patients can avoid many of the side-effects of earlier treatments, keep their eye, and in some cases, retain their vision too. The hospital invited one such survivor to share her experience of the treatment.
Ms. Lai
Eye tumor survivor
It wasn’t painful at all, and I didn’t need any anesthetic. I was very happy after the treatment, because I didn’t have to have my eye removed.
Three years ago, Ms. Lai noticed that straight lines were looking wiggly out of her right eye. Tests found a malignant tumor in the eyes, but after proton therapy, the tumor was successfully controlled.
Chou Hung-ta
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
We use the special decay curve of the proton, so that the proton releases almost all its energy in one go when it has reached the tumor. So the healthy tissues surrounding it suffer almost no collateral damage.
Eye tumors can metastasize when they are just 3 millimeters thick. Once, the only treatment was to remove the eye. But now, using proton therapy on the melanoma in the eye, 90% of primary tumors are controlled within two weeks. Between 30% and 40% of patients can retain their eyesight, and the traditional side-effects of radiation therapy are significantly reduced.
Huang Yi-hsiu
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Because we are people of color, even if we have a melanoma, the likelihood of it transforming into a malignant tumor is not high. But in the last few years, they do seem to be getting more and more common in Taiwan.
Statistics show that five to 15 people in Taiwan develop eye tumors every year. Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital has treated 20 such patients with proton therapy already. In all those cases, the tumor was brought under control, and more than half of the patients could retain at least 10% of their eyesight. The hospital is continuing to refine the therapy. They plan to develop gene testing and survival rate predictions for eye tumors.
視覺"線條扭曲" 女子眼部長出惡性腫瘤
2023-02-07
Doctors at Chang Gung Memorial hospital in Linkou have a new treatment for eye tumors. A malignant tumor in the eye is a very rare condition. It traditionally required the eye to be removed. But now， thanks to proton therapy， patients can avoid many of the side-effects of earlier treatments， keep their eye， and in some cases， retain their vision too. The hospital invited one such survivor to share her experience of the treatment.
Ms. Lai
Eye tumor survivor
It wasn’t painful at all， and I didn’t need any anesthetic. I was very happy after the treatment， because I didn’t have to have my eye removed.
Three years ago， Ms. Lai noticed that straight lines were looking wiggly out of her right eye. Tests found a malignant tumor in the eyes， but after proton therapy， the tumor was successfully controlled.
Chou Hung-ta
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
We use the special decay curve of the proton， so that the proton releases almost all its energy in one go when it has reached the tumor. So the healthy tissues surrounding it suffer almost no collateral damage.
Eye tumors can metastasize when they are just 3 millimeters thick. Once， the only treatment was to remove the eye. But now， using proton therapy on the melanoma in the eye， 90% of primary tumors are controlled within two weeks. Between 30% and 40% of patients can retain their eyesight， and the traditional side-effects of radiation therapy are significantly reduced.
Huang Yi-hsiu
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Because we are people of color， even if we have a melanoma， the likelihood of it transforming into a malignant tumor is not high. But in the last few years， they do seem to be getting more and more common in Taiwan.
Statistics show that five to 15 people in Taiwan develop eye tumors every year. Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital has treated 20 such patients with proton therapy already. In all those cases， the tumor was brought under control， and more than half of the patients could retain at least 10% of their eyesight. The hospital is continuing to refine the therapy. They plan to develop gene testing and survival rate predictions for eye tumors.
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