Treatment outcomes of retinoblastoma patients at a Tertiary Government Hospital in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

Objective@#This study determined the treatment outcomes of patients with retinoblastoma seen at a Philippine tertiary government hospital from January 2000 to January 2020.@*Method@#This is a cohort study. Medical records of patients with histopathologic-proven retinoblastoma were reviewed and pertinent information on clinical profile and presentation, treatment and outcomes were recorded.@*Results@#This study included 118 patients (146 eyes) with mean age at symptom onset of 7.4 + 6.6 months and mean age at consult of 11.5 + 13.7 months. There were 69 (47%) eyes with International Classification of Retinoblastoma (ICRB) stage E. The most common primary treatment was enucleation (n=137, 94%). The most common high-risk histopathologic feature was involvement of the optic nerve at the cut-end section (n=27, 34%). Only 14 patients (11%) completed treatment with median follow-up of 30.5 months (range 4- 122). @*Conclusion@#The rate of overall survival of patients with retinoblastoma is low in this study, similar to other developing countries. This can be due to higher proportion of patients with advanced stage at presentation and lower percentage of treatment completion. Early diagnosis and treatment may lead to better survival rate, visual outcome and quality of life. Due to limited data on follow-up, globe preservation could not be determined.