Retinoblastoma (patient information)
For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here
Editor-in-Chief: Jinhui Wu, MD
Please Join in Editing This Page and Apply to be an Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [1] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.
What is retinoblastoma?
How do I know if I have retinoblastoma and what are the symptoms of retinoblastoma?
Retinoblastomas are usually found because a parent or pediatrician notices a child's eye looks unusual.
- The pupil often appears white or pink when you shine a light in a child's eye.
- Lazy eye (strabismus): Both eyes do not appear to look in the same direction.
- Vision problems
- Eye pain
- Redness of the white part of the eye
- A pupil that does not get smaller when exposed to bright light
Other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a pediatrician can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell the doctor so that the problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Who is at risk for retinoblastoma?
Heredity and age are the risk factors of retinoblastoma.
- Heredity: Studies show that about 1/3 cases of retinoblastoma are caused by the Rb1 gene mutation. The rest 2/3 cases occur as a result of a random gene mutation.
- Age: Most children diagnosed with retinoblastoma are younger than 3 years old.
How to know you have retinoblastoma?
- Ultrasound: This is an painless test which uses sound waves to create a picture of the eye balls. Because tumors generate different echoes of sound waves than normal tissue, the doctor can locate a mass inside the body. Ultrasound is one of the most commonly used imaging tests to confirm retinoblastoma is present.
- Computed tomography (CT) scan: CT scans are often used to diagnose retinoblastoma. It can confirm the location of the cancer and show the tissues near the tumor.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An MRI uses magnetic fields but it is a different type of image than what is produced by computed tomography (CT) and produces detailed images of the body. Like computed tomography (CT), a contrast agent may be injected into a patient’s vein to create a better picture.
- Whole Bone Scan: The goal of a whole body bone scan is to show if a cancer has metastasized to your bones.
When to seek urgent medical care?
Treatment options
Diseases with similar symptoms
Where to find medical care for retinoblastoma?
Directions to Hospitals Treating retinoblastoma
Prevention of retinoblastoma
What to expect (Outook/Prognosis)?
Copyleft Sources
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_3x.asp?dt=37