A 15-Year Review of Retinoblastoma at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30442/ahr.1104-08-306Keywords:
Childhood cancer, Embryonal tumour, Leukocoria, Retinoblastoma, Clinical outcomeAbstract
Background: Retinoblastoma (RB) is a rare and highly aggressive eye cancer in children. Late diagnosis of the disease usually results in a very low disease-free survival rate in the developing world.
Objectives: To review the prevalence, pattern, and treatment outcomes of retinoblastoma in a Nigerian tertiary centre.
Methods: This was a retrospective study of the clinical records of all new patients aged 16 years and below with a clinical diagnosis of retinoblastoma at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, between January 2008 and December 2022. The sociodemographic and clinical data of children with the disease were obtained from the clinical records, and the data were analysed.
Results: The hospital prevalence of retinoblastoma was 0.15%. The male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1, with a mean age of 3.4 years. Unilateral disease accounted for 74.4% of cases, and extraocular manifestations accounted for 71.8% of the cases studied. The most common and earliest presenting symptom was leukocoria. One-third of the cases did not receive any treatment for retinoblastoma. The majority of the children (69.2%) were lost to follow-up, and only two (5.1%) were alive.
Conclusion: The prevalence of retinoblastoma at this hospital was low, but most cases were unilateral and presented as extraocular disease. Although the disease is potentially curable, the treatment outcome remains poor in this setting due to late presentation at the hospital.
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