What is Retinoblastoma?

Retinoblastoma is a particularly sensitive illness as not only is it cancer, but it also exclusively affects our most vulnerable – children. It presents in children up to five years of age, and can even be found in children still in the womb.  

It occurs due to immature retinal cells in either one or both eyes. Thankfully, this cancer is curable if it is caught early enough to treat. Despite this, a tragic 87% of children affected by Retinoblastoma worldwide will die because of it. A large proportion of this figure will have lived in developing countries. In developed countries, 97% of those children who survive the cancer will have problems with their vision – ranging from mild to severe.

Retinoblastoma is a relatively uncommon cancer, as it accounts for barely 3% of the total cancers in young children under the age of 15. It’s a tumor, which originates somewhere in the retina. The retina is the light sensitive part of the eye, which is a vital part of being able to see. It forms the back wall of your eye. When the Retinoblastoma tumor is present in just one eye, doctors call it ‘unilateral retinoblastoma’. For tumors found in both eyes, the term is ‘bilateral retinoblastoma’. The majority of cases involve just one eye, with only 40% being ‘bilateral retinoblastoma’ and therefore affecting both.

The vast majority – some 92% of sufferers, have no family history of the disease and a mere 10% of diagnosed sufferers have another family member with retinoblastoma.  

Although very rare, retinoblastoma can spread outside of the retina and eye. It can metastasize to the brain, the central nervous system and spinal cord and even to the bones. Chemotherapy is the appropriate treatment in these cases. The expert in such decisions is called a pediatric oncologist – a childhood cancer specialist. The chemotherapy would be administered through the blood vessels or directly into the brain for months or even years after originally diagnosed.

As with many cancers, early diagnosis and start of treatment is crucial to the success or failure of the treatment. Your doctor will need to do an examination having dilated the pupils of the child in question. For specialists, you should request to see a pediatric ophthalmologist, should you be unsatisfied with your doctor’s work. However in many cases, diagnosis is straightforward. 

See also

More retinoblastoma Information.