Retinoblastoma

Retinoblastomas are tumors that occur in the eye. This cancer is one of four of the most common cancers that affect children. The first sign of this disease is usually noted by the white area in the child's eye or eyes. This syndrome can be bilateral. Other symptoms can include red and painful eye or eyes and misaligned eyes. Often, this is hereditary. The average age of diagnosis is 18 months old. Calcifications often occur and that is how this image shows the tumor.

Treatment for this disorder will often involve many specialists including a pediatric oncologist, pediatric opthamologist, and radiation therapist. Most often chemotherapy is given to try to shrink the tumor. Laser therapy, cryotherapy, and external beam irradiation therapy are often utilized to treat this condition. Biopsies are never performed as this can spread metastases to other parts of the body.

This condition is still rather rare with 1 case out of approximately 20,000 live births. If detected early the survival rate is 96% according to the website http://www.retinoblastoma.ca/ Blindness is still a possibility in the affected eye due to the tumor and then treatments to cure the cancer. However, many children only have unilateral retinoblastoma leaving the unaffected eye to do the work.

Susan Brumley