Retinoblastoma forms when developing cells in the retina start to divide uncontrollably, and usually occurs in children under six. The disease is fatal if left untreated.
Although chemotherapy and radiation can be effective, the treatment has significant side effects, including hearing loss, kidney failure and leukaemia.
However, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, believe that they may have found a safer, cheaper alternative to conventional therapy. A tree bark extract, beta-lapachone, has been found to significantly block the rapid cell growth of tumors and could cause damaged cells to commit suicide in a process called apoptosis.
The team is now testing the extract in mice to look for possible side effects.