Filatov Institute receives as humanitarian aid drug for treatment of intraocular malignant tumors in children
The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine (Odesa) has been receiving humanitarian aid for the second year - a drug for the treatment of intraocular malignant tumors in children from the pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited.
As the Interfax-Ukraine agency was told at the institute's clinic, the drug is used to treat the disease using the method of combined polychemotherapy developed by its doctors. It involves administering the drug directly to the tumor in combination with general chemotherapy. The use of this method allows in 80% of cases to preserve the eye affected by the tumor and even vision.
The drug melphalanum, produced by Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited, is used as an intraocular injection.
“Unfortunately, in recent years it has been impossible to purchase melphalanum for injection in Ukraine. The institute has taken active steps to obtain the medicine, and for the second year now we have been receiving the drug directly from the company as a charitable donation,” the institute reported.
As noted, the presence of this medicine makes it possible for young patients to receive the necessary treatment, which allows them not only to save their lives, avoid removal of the tumor along with the eye, but also to preserve the baby’s vision.
“The institute expresses its deep gratitude for the assistance in obtaining the drug from Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited, Senior Executive Director of Aspen Group Mr. Stavros Nicolaou, Head of the patronage service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine Olha Nykytchenko and Ambassador of Ukraine to South Africa Liubov Abravitova,” the clinic emphasized.
Retinoblastoma is a highly malignant intraocular tumor of the retina, developing mainly in children in the first two years of life and accounting for 89.3-98.2% of all intraocular neoplasms in children. The incidence rate of retinoblastoma in the world is currently one case per 10,000-15,000 newborns. Due to the asymptomatic course of the disease, up to 85-86% of children with this diagnosis end up in clinics with advanced stage retinoblastoma. Previously, and still in many clinics, the only way to save a child’s life was to remove the tumor along with the eye.
Treatment of retinoblastoma in Ukraine is carried out in the Department of Ophthalmopathology of Children of the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy. In recent years, the clinic has treated about 300 children with retinoblastoma aged from three months to eight years. Each patient receives from three to 20 injections, depending on the stage of the disease.