Data from Pediatric Hospital provide new insights into retinoblastoma
2007 NOV 12 -- In this recent article published in the journal Pediatric Blood & Cancer, scientists in Buenos Aires, Argentina conducted a study "To assess the outcome and determine risk factors for extraocular relapse in patients with retinoblastoma who had been enucleated after failure of chemoreductionRetrospective study (1995-2002) at three institutions. Pathological risk factors (PRF) were defined as invasion of the anterior segment, choroid, post-laminar optic nerve, subarachnoid space, or sclera according to the local pathology report." "Extraocular relapse was defined as an eventOne hundred twenty-two patients were included (17 had bilateral enucleation). Chemoreduction included vincristine, carboplatin, and etoposide (n = 80, 65.6%), vincristine, and carboplatin (n = 17, 13.9%), or carboplatin (n 25, 20.5%). Thirty-five also received external beam radiotherapy (28.7%). PRF included: 39 with choroidal involvement, 9 with anterior segment, 9 with scleral, and 2 with post-laminar optic nerve with subarachnoid invasion. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given to eight patients (6.5%) because of scleral invasion. Four patients had an extraocular relapse after enucleation, two of whom survive after intensive treatment including stem cell rescue. Five-year probability of event-free survival is 0.96. Only scleral invasion and bilateral enucleation were significantly associated with extraocular relapseThe risk of extraocular relapse is low after enucleation following failure of chemoreduction," wrote G.L. Chantada and colleagues, Pediatric Hospital. The researchers concluded: "Patients who underwent bilateral enucleation and those with scleral invasion are at higher risk of extraocular relapse." Chantada and colleagues published their study in Pediatric Blood & Cancer (Risk factors for extraocular relapse following enucleation after failure of chernoreduction in retinoblastoma. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 2007;49(3):256-260). Additional information can be obtained by contacting G.L. Chantada, J.P. Garrahan Pediatric Hospital, Dept. of Hematooncol, Combate Pozos 1881, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina. The publisher of the journal Pediatric Blood & Cancer can be contacted at: Wiley-Liss, Division John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA. Keywords: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Retinoblastoma, Pediatric Hospital. This article was prepared by Clinical Oncology Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Clinical Oncology Week via NewsRx.com.
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