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Victims of retinoblastoma are infants and toddlers under the age of five years old. Many victim's symptoms indicate they have this cancer. Many symptoms are: that the pupil is observed to be wite, or, if the eye turns outward toward the ear. Children that have retinoblastoma may also have a red, painful eye, poor vision, inflammation of tissue surrounding the eye, an enlarged or dilated pupil, different colored irises. The number one cause of retinoblastoma is from heredity, but many researchers still have questions on how else the cancer comes to play without the heredity side. If a patient's parent is fully aware of the child's eye the pediatrician will then take the child in for a full eye examination.
Some retinoblastoma patients may last have extra fingers or toes, malformed ears, or even retardation. On rare occasions, retinoblastoma is discovered on a well-baby examination. Every year, one out of every fifteen to thirty thousand children are affected by retinoblastoma. Children are affected in either one eye (unilateral) or in both eyes (bilateral).
In most cases (over 75 %) the cancer is only involved in one eye; the rest are affected in both eyes. Most retinoblastoma patients have no family history of the disease; only 10 % do have other family members with retinoblastoma. Approximately, only twenty-five to thirty people actually die from retinoblastoma in the United States annually. The prognosis of someone with retinoblastoma can greatly change depending on where the tumor is located and if it has spread to other parts of the body. The tumor is classified according to how dangerous it is.
Usually the pediatrician can tell by how serious the tumor is by how far it has spread, if the tumor is still contained in the eye there are many treatments that the patient can choose form. But, if the disease has spread throughout hte body into the brain then the tumor (s) is treated with chemotherapy. Retinoblastoma can be treated with many options. The treatment depends upon the age of the child, the involvement of one or both eyes, and whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. No treatment may mean that the child would die.
Most goals for treatment from most to least import ranking are: saving the child's life, maintaining the eye and vision, and preserving cosmetic appearance. THe most common form of treatment for retinoblastoma is enucleation. During an enucleation the eye is surgically removed. THis type of treatment is necessary because it is the only way to remove the cancer completely. Another type of treatment is external beam radiation.
External beam radiation has been used for over 100 years, so that the eye and vision are saved. Retinoblastoma is sensitive to radiation, and frequently the treatment is successful. Another example of a treatment of retinoblastoma is radioactive plaques are disks made of radioactive material that were developed over 70 years ago to radiate retinoblastoma. Some long-effects can include cataracts, radiation retinopathy, and impaired vision may occur.
In addition, laser therapy (photo coagulation or laser hyperthermia) can be used alone or in addition to external-beam radiation, plaques, or cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is another treatment where a pen-like probe is placed on the eye and the tumor is frozen. For months after this treatment is established, the patient must have eye drops or ointment to reduce the swelling for weeks after. A majority of children in the United States (over 95 %) survive the cancer adn have perfectly normal lives. Children with unilateral retinoblastoma have one normal eye whose sight is not affected even though they may have had one eye removed. Most children with bilateral retinoblastoma retain at least one eye with good vision and many are able to retail the use of both eyes.
Retinoblastoma is a life-threatening disease, but it is rarely a fatal one if treated appropriately.
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