Biochemical measures of ovarian function in female survivors of retinoblastoma treated with intra-arterial melphalan: an initial report

ABSTRACT

Since 2006, ophthalmic artery chemosurgery (OAC) has been used for ocular-sparing treatment of retinoblastoma. Systemic exposure to melphalan is known to cause ovarian dysfunction, but the effect of melphalan-based OAC has not yet been determined. Here, we assess biochemical and symptomatic measures of ovarian function in a cohort of pubertal female survivors of retinoblastoma treated with melphalan-based OAC. These 13 patients all had normal gonadotropins at a median age of 11.1 years, 9.6 years from the completion of therapy. None had symptoms of ovarian dysfunction. This study provides initial evidence that ovarian function remains intact after melphalan-based OAC.

KEYWORDS:

• Retinoblastoma
• survivorship
• ovarian function

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health grant P30 CA008748 to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. D. Friedman is supported, in part, by a Clinician-Scientist Development Grant from the American Cancer Society [133831-CSDG-19-117-25 01-CPHPS].