Mexican group urges national early detection program for retinoblastoma

A group of physicians from numerous hospitals in Mexico urged the medical community there to develop detection programs and treatment protocols for patients with retinoblastoma.

C. Leal-Leal, MD, and colleagues in the Mexican Retinoblastoma Group noted that the incidence of retinoblastoma in Mexico is likely higher than the incidence reported worldwide, but not enough is known about characteristics of the disease there.

The group retrospectively analyzed all retinoblastoma cases (500) occurring during a 6-year period. The patients ranged in age from 0 to 182 months. There were 364 unilateral cases. Enucleation was performed in 84.9% of the patients. According to the St. Jude staging method 7.4% of cases were stage 1, 52.8% were stage 2, 18% were stage 3, 11.4% were stage 4, 7.2% were not evaluated and 3.2% had missing data,. Chemotherapy was used in 74.4% of the patients, and disease-free survival was 89% at 73 months follow-up.

The study is published in the August issue of British Journal of Ophthalmology.