Characteristics of patients with recurrent retinoblastoma: a survival analysis

Management guidelines and corresponding survival data for patients with recurrent retinoblastoma (RB) are lacking. This study aimed to summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with recurrent RB and analyze their survival outcomes.

We retrospectively analyzed 68 patients with recurrent RB who underwent treatment in our institution from January 2016 to December 2020. Patients were grouped according to location of recurrence: intraocular, orbital, and distant metastasis.

The male:female ratio was 1.3:1 and the median age at recurrence was 37.5 months (range, 30.3-62.8). The number of patients in the intraocular recurrence, orbital recurrence, and metastasis groups was 13 (19.1%), 23 (33.8%), and 32 (47.1%), respectively. Thirty patients died, 36 were alive at last follow-up, and two were lost to follow-up. Eye enucleation was performed in 94.1% of patients. Five-year overall survival in patients with intraocular recurrence, orbital recurrence, and metastasis was 84.6%, 69.6%, and 31.3%, respectively (P = 0.001). Most deaths occurred within 2 years of recurrence. Presence of high-risk pathological factors, central nervous system invasion, and absence of combination therapy were independent predictors of worse 5-year overall survival.

The rate of eye preservation in survivors of recurrent RB was very low. Although 5-year overall survival in patients who underwent treatment for intraocular and orbital recurrence was high, it was low in those with metastasis. RB patients may need lifelong follow-up for recurrence and secondary malignancy.