The future
Outlook
Retinoblastoma has one of the best cure rates of all childhood cancers, and over 9 out of 10 children with retinoblastoma can be cured. Most of the complications outlined in other sections of this site are very rare. Since the introduction of effective chemotherapy, the number of children developing spread of retinoblastoma outside the eye (metastatic disease) has been greatly reduced, and the overall cure rate has increased.
As a general principle, the child should be helped and encouraged to lead as normal a life as possible. There is a natural tendency for parents to overprotect their child, but it is important to remember that the child is likely to be of normal intelligence, and he/she should be encouraged to be independent and to look after him/herself.
The future
Considerable advances in the treatment of retinoblastoma have been made over the past two decades, and the majority of children are now cured and retain useful vision. Close surveillance of all children with a family history of retinoblastoma leads to earlier diagnosis and successful treatment. Effective chemotherapy is now available and can be used both to prevent and treat the spread of retinoblastoma outside the eye. It is routinely used in the treatment of children with bilateral tumours, either alone or in combination with other methods of treatment. New techniques of radiotherapy have been introduced to reduce radiation damage to the normal structures of the eye, and there is scope for further refinement. It is hoped that the use of chemotherapy will also help to reduce some of the late complications seen following radiotherapy.
Much research has been done, both in the UK and abroad, into the genetic aspects of retinoblastoma, so that pre and postnatal genetic screening can now be offered to many patients. The normal retinoblastoma gene has been identified and sequenced, and by sophisticated molecular screening techniques, the abnormal or "mutant" RB1 gene can be detected in most individuals with the genetic form of the disease. This information can now be used to screen for carriers of the damaged RB1 gene within a family, and can be used to exclude many unaffected siblings from the routine screening programme, thereby avoiding unnecessary examinations under anaesthetic. |
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URGENT Travel update for Annual Day |
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Advice for concerned parents |
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Click here for what to do if you think you have seen a symptom of retinoblastoma.
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