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Updated: May 19, 2026
Reconstruct Human Retinoblastoma In Vitro
Published on: October 11, 2022
Characteristics and clinical presentations of pediatric retinoblastoma in North-western Iran
Reza Nabie1, Nazli Taheri, Ali Mahdavi Fard
1Department of Ophthalmology, Nikookari Eye Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Insights
This study details retinoblastoma characteristics in Iranian children, finding leukocoria as the most common sign. Most cases required enucleation, highlighting the need for early detection of this pediatric eye cancer.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Oncology
Background:
- Retinoblastoma is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in children.
- Understanding its epidemiology and clinical presentation is crucial for timely diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize retinoblastoma in a cohort of pediatric patients from Iran.
- To describe the clinical manifestations and treatment patterns.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of pediatric retinoblastoma cases (n=40) over 7 years.
- Analysis of demographics, laterality, clinical signs, and treatment modalities.
- Statistical analysis using t-test, Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square, and Fisher's Exact tests.
Main Results:
- Unilateral involvement in 57.7% and bilateral in 42.5% of cases.
- Mean age at admission was 24 months; mean diagnosis delay was 7.4 months.
- Leukocoria (97.5%) was the predominant sign, followed by proptosis and strabismus. Enucleation was the primary treatment.
Conclusions:
- This is the first study to report on a series of Iranian children with retinoblastoma.
- The findings provide essential data on the presentation and management of retinoblastoma in this population.
Aim:
To report the characteristics and clinical presentations of retinoblastoma in a series of pediatric patients from Iran.
Methods:
In this retrospective study, profiles of pediatric patients with retinoblastoma archived in a referral eye hospital in north-west of Iran during 7 years (n=40 patients with 57 eyes) were reviewed. Demographics, as well as the laterality, clinical manifestations and the types of treatment were the major endpoints. The Student's t test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Chi-square or Fishers' Exact test was used for analysis where appropriate.
Results:
There were 23 cases (57.7%) with unilateral and 17 cases (42.5%) with bilateral involvement. The male to female ratio was 1 to 1.4 with a mean admitting age of 24.0±11.3 (range: 5-62) months. The mean diagnosis delay was 7.4±9.6 months (range: 10 days to 13 months). The most common presenting sign was leukocoria (97.5%) followed by proptosis (7.5%), strabismus (7.5%), hyphema (5%), orbital cellulitis (5%) and glaucoma (2.5%). Enucleation was performed in 95.7% of the cases with unilateral involvement and at least one eye of the patients with bilateral disease. A second enucleation was performed in other 3 patients (17.6%) of the latter group.
Conclusion:
This is the first study evaluating a series of Iranian children with retinoblastoma.
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