Childhood Cancer

Childhood Cancer

Chapter 5: Retinoblastoma

RETINOBLASTOMA IS A CANCEROUS tumor of the eye that primarily affects young children. It is the most common eye cancer of childhood and occurs in both hereditary and non-hereditary forms. At diagnosis, there may be one or more tumors present in one or both eyes.

This chapter first describes the structure and function of the eye. Then it explains who gets retinoblastoma, what the signs and symptoms are, how it is diagnosed, and how the prognosis is determined. The chapter ends with a discussion of current treatments and how to find out about the newest standard treatments.