Importance of Age in Management of Retinoblastoma of the First Eye

Abstract

The possible treatments of retinoblastoma are briefly discussed, and the different situations when one or two eyes are affected is stressed. The age at onset is an important factor in distinguishing between uni- and bilateral cases. By an analysis of 59 cases it is shown that below the age of 12 months, the risk of bilaterality is above 90 per cent whereas above the age of 18 months the risk is almost zero. It is recommended that in retinoblastoma, uni- as well as bilateral cases, the possibility of a conservative treatment is seriously considered. Radiation is today the basic modality of treatment. The acute management by the mutilating enucleation is a procedure of the past.