A prospective study on the treatment of retinoblastoma in 72 patients

Article Abstract:

Retinoblastoma is a cancer that affects the retina in the eyes of young children. It is an inherited disorder, and is the most common cause of cancer in the eyes of children. Clearly, the most important goal of therapeutic treatment is saving the child's life; unfortunately, this means surgical removal of the affected eye(s) in some cases. In cases that have not advanced too far, conservative therapy may be used to preserve the eye(s) and, hopefully, the vision of the patient. A study was conducted of 72 children with retinoblastoma; these patients were studied over a six-year period. In 47 cases, only one eye was cancerous, in the remaining 25 cases, both eyes were involved. Of the 47 cases with involvement of one eye, the cancerous eye was surgically removed in 44. Among the 25 patients with 2 cancerous eyes, it was necessary to remove 28 eyes at the time of diagnosis due to the extent of the cancer. In five cases, it was necessary to remove both eyes and in only one case could both eyes be saved. Some small cancers were treated with photocoagulation, in which a bright beam of light is directed at the cancer to fry it. In tumors that were not suitable for photocoagulation, radiation therapy was used. All patients were given chemotherapy to help prevent recurrent disease; those with early-stage disease received a more modest regimen of chemotherapy, and the children with more advanced disease received more aggressive chemotherapy. Of the 72 patients, 4 died of causes other than retinoblastoma, including toxicity of chemotherapy in one child and other cancers in two children. Thirteen patients died of metastatic retinoblastoma which had invaded the brain, the brain's meningeal sheath, or both. The remaining 55 patients remain alive without evidence of cancer. Of the 21 eyes that were saved by conservative treatment, vision was regained in 14. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, Blindness

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Retinoblastoma presenting with orbital cellulitis

Article Abstract:

Inflammation of the eye may be a rare initial symptom of retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is the most common cancer of the eye occurring in children and the most common cause of calcified eye tissue. An 18-month-old child was seen at a hospital because of eye inflammation and an ear infection. Antibiotic therapy did not cure the inflammation. A CT scan of the eyes revealed areas of irregular calcified soft tissue, indicating retinoblastoma. A diagnosis of retinoblastoma should be considered in children with eye inflammation.

Complications and side effects, Eye, Inflammation, Cellulitis

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