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Updated: Mar 22, 2026
Reconstruct Human Retinoblastoma In Vitro
Published on: October 11, 2022
Disparities in Retinoblastoma Presentation, Treatment, and Outcomes in Developed and Less-Developed Countries
Gobind Singh1, Anthony B Daniels1,2,3,4
1a Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences , Vanderbilt University Medical Center , Nashville , TN , USA.
Insights
Retinoblastoma survival rates are high in developed countries but remain poor in less developed countries due to significant disparities. Culturally sensitive, tailored approaches are crucial for improving outcomes in less developed nations.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Oncology
- Global Health
Background:
- Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common childhood intraocular cancer.
- Developed countries (DCs) have achieved high RB survival rates (up to 99%).
- Less developed countries (LDCs) face poor RB survival rates (0-5%) despite greater tumor burden.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight disparities in Retinoblastoma presentation, treatment, and prognosis between DCs and LDCs.
- To identify underlying causes of these global health inequities.
- To propose culturally sensitive strategies for improving RB outcomes in LDCs.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of RB outcomes in DCs versus LDCs.
- Identification of barriers to care in LDCs (e.g., diagnosis delays, access, cost, cultural factors).
- Review of successful culturally adapted interventions in LDCs.
Main Results:
- Significant disparities exist in RB diagnosis, treatment access, and survival rates globally.
- Barriers in LDCs include delayed diagnosis, limited healthcare access, treatment costs, and cultural factors.
- Successful interventions in LDCs often involve telemedicine and international partnerships ('twinning').
Conclusions:
- A one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective for improving RB outcomes in LDCs.
- Culturally sensitive and country-specific strategies are essential.
- Telemedicine and global collaborations offer promising avenues for enhancing pediatric cancer care in resource-limited settings.
Abstract:
Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common intraocular malignancy in children. In the past century, RB survival rates in developed countries (DCs) have improved from <5% to as high as 99%. In contrast, in less developed countries (LDCs) where the tumor burden is greatest, survival rates remain poor, with some countries reporting survival rates as low as 0-5%. In addition, there are disparities between DCs and LDCs in RB presentation, treatment modalities, and prognosis. These disparities are due to many underlying causes, including delays in diagnosis, access to medical care, patient and physician familiarity with the disease, availability and cost of treatment, and patient acceptance of enucleation. It is our belief that attempts to extend the improvements in prognosis achieved in DCs to various LDCs must be culturally sensitive and tailored to each country's specific challenges, and thus, a "one-size-fits-all" approach to improving patient outcomes in LDCs is unlikely to work well. We discuss several culturally sensitive approaches that have been successfully implemented in various LDCs, including those that make use of telemedicine and "twinning" with centers of excellence around the world.
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