Retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma was diagnosed in 74 patients between July 1967 and February 1987. Thirty cases (40%) were bilateral; 39 were female and 35 were male. Treatment in bilateral cases consisted of enucleation of the more involved eye and a combined approach of supervoltage irradiation, cryocoagulation, and photocoagulation to the remaining eye. In unilateral cases the involved eye was enucleated and the uninvolved eye observed. Four patients had bilateral enucleation at their initial presentation and four others had the second eye enucleated after unsuccessful tumor treatment. One patient died from metastatic retinoblastoma, one patient died after intrathecal chemotherapy without the evidence of tumor, and one patient died with trilateral retinoblastoma. Seventy-one of 74 patients (96%) currently survive with a follow-up of 1 month to 19 years. Two-year survival is 65 of 68 (95.5%).