Undergoing eye cancer treatment can be a scary prospect. At The New York Eye Cancer Center, we are committed to giving patients resources to make the experience as comfortable and stress-free as possible.
One way to do that is providing as much information as possible before treatment even begins. The following video shows one couple’s perspective on home-care during ophthalmic plaque radiation therapy.
EyePlaquePatientExperience from Paul T Finger on Vimeo.
Plaque radiation therapy is the most widely used treatment for choroidal melanoma and delivers a highly concentrated radiation dose to the tumor. This treatment results in relatively less radiation to surrounding healthy tissues.
Rice-sized radioactive seeds are attached within a gold or steel bowl called a plaque. This is surgically implanted to the wall of the eye, covering the base of the intraocular tumor. After surgery, the patient is typically sent home for five to seven days while the low-energy radiation sterilizes the tumor.
Dr. Finger performed plaque radiation treatment on Stanley Fishman.
“When I was first diagnosed diffuse iris melanoma, it was a rather frightening and daunting experience. Fortunately, Dr. Finger was able to guide me through the process very calmly and in a low-key fashion throughout all of the subsequent treatments and recovery.”
Now you can benefit from Stanley’s experience in this video featuring him and his wife. It provides some valuable insight on what to expect during the treatment period and also offers great tips on how to manage home care during this time.
In Florida the patient is not allowed to go home with the radiation plaque, they must remain in the hospital. I am trying to find out what an in-hospital experience could be like.