First randomised controlled study of two different approaches to treating retinoblastoma

Ninety nine percent of retinoblastomas occur in children less than 5 years and is the most common intraocular tumour. Archivist was fascinated to discover that most of today’s treatments for this tumour (unlike many other oncological tumours in children) have been implemented based on single-centre experiences in high-income countries and not the large randomised controlled trials (RCTs) from many centres that we know well from the large cancer networks. There is also an inequality in treatment when comparing to low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) where there may be delayed diagnosis, difficulties in accepting eye enucleation by affected families, treatment abandonment, and the toxicity of treatments. Thus, outcomes are worse in LMICs. The problems of accepting, eye enucleation has been a major component of this poorer outcome. The approach to chemotherapy has been mainly the intravenous systemic route with the usual side effects of treatment of any chemotherapeutic programme. Recently...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Category: Pediatrics Tags: Miscellanea Source Type: research