Aim: To report treatment outcomes of intra- and extraocular retinoblastomas seen at Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, South India.
Methods: Retrospective case series from January 2006 to December 2011 involving 106 babies. Clinical records were reviewed and data collected on presenting signs, gender, age, family history, ocular findings and treatment outcomes. All eyes were classified using the International Retinoblastoma Classification.
Results: The mean follow up was 35.4 months (range 1-75 months, SD 20.2, median 33 months). The mean age of presentation was 20.8 months (range 5 days to 120 months). There were 68 unilateral and 38 bilateral cases. Globe salvage rates were 100% for group A (11 eyes), B (16 eyes) and C (2 eyes). For group D, eye salvage rate was 29.5% (10/34 eyes). Survival rate of orbital retinoblastoma in our study was 55.5% (5/9 cases) at a mean follow up of 33.6 months. The overall patient survival rate was 89.6% with 11 deaths (10.4%). The commonest cause of death (7/11) was distant metastasis due to refusal to take initial treatment.
Conclusion: Greater improvement in patient survival can be achieved not only by early treatment of intraocular disease but also to convince patients to accept treatments including enucleation in this part of the world.
Keywords: Developing country; outcomes; retinoblastoma.