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Retinoblastoma

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"last update: 26 August  2025"                                                                                                   Download Guideline

- Executive Summary

This guidance provides a data-supported approach to the diagnosis, treatment and follow up of paediatric patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma.

Recommendations

Level Of recommendation

1-Work up for newly diagnosed retinoblastoma

 

We recommend bilateral examination under anaesthesia and full ophthalmology assessment for all patients suspected to have retinoblastoma.

Strong Recommendation

We recommend MRI of brain and orbits with IV contrast prior to therapy in all patients.

Strong Recommendation

For all tumors stage II and above - according to IRSS-  we recommend metastatic work up: Bilateral bone marrow biopsies, bone scan, CSF cytology and whole spine MRI

Strong recommendation

 

Pathology is not recommended for initial confirmation of diagnosis prior to therapy.

Strong Recommendation

We recommend family counseling for all children with RB.

Strong recommendation

2- Treatment of Unilateral Intraocular Retinoblastoma

 

Surgery  

We recommend enucleation for:

·  IIRC Group E

·  Failed eye salvage with local treatment and systemic chemotherapy in groups C and D

· Unilateral advanced intraocular group D disease with no hope of useful vision.

Strong Recommendation

Optic nerve resection margin is recommended to be at least 10 mm

Strong Recommendation

Histopathological assessment and staging of the enucleated eye is recommended for all patients.

Strong Recommendation

Treatment of Group A

 

We recommend local treatment for all group A eyes.

Strong Recommendation

Treatment of Group B

 

We recommend both local treatment and systemic IV three drug chemotherapy (Vincristine-Carboplatin-Etoposide) for a total of 6 cycles with 21-28 days interval in between cycles.

Strong Recommendation

Treatment of Groups C and D 

 

 

We recommend both local treatment and systemic IV three drug chemotherapy (Vincristine-Carboplatin-Etoposide) for a total of 6 cycles with 21-28 days interval in between cycles.         

Strong Recommendation

We recommend routine EUA with every 1 cycle and if progressive disease we recommend enucleation and histopathology examination.

Strong Recommendation

If NO high risk features in pathology, we do not recommend further treatment after enucleation.

Strong Recommendation

If  high risk features are present in pathology, we recommend giving total 6 cycles of systemic IV three drug chemotherapy (Vincristine-Carboplatin-Etoposide) with 21-28 days interval in between cycles.

Strong Recommendation

We recommend starting systemic chemotherapy whithin 35 days of enucleation for high risk features.

Strong Recommendation

Treatment of Group E

 

We recommend enucleation upfront for all group E eyes

Strong recommendation

If NO high risk features in pathology, we do not recommend further treatment after enucleation

Strong recommendation

If  high risk features are present in pathology, we recommend giving total 6 cycles of systemic IV three drug chemotherapy (Vincristine-Carboplatin-Etoposide) with 21-28 days interval in between cycles.

Strong Recommendation

We recommend starting systemic chemotherapy whithin 35 days of enucleation for high risk histology.

Strong Recommendation

3-Treatment of Bilateral Intraocular Retinoblastoma

 

We recommend dictating treatment protocol by the most advanced eye.

Strong Recommendation

 

We recommend upfront enucleation of the most advanced eye followed by histopathology. If the better eye is group A, B or C, we recommend enucleation of group D eyes.

If both eyes are group D we recommend chemoreduction and focal therapy for both eyes.

Strong Recommendation

We recommend chemoreduction for groups B, C and D eyes as well as local therapy similar to unilateral intraocular treatment protocols.

Strong Recommendation

4- Treatment of Extraocular Retinoblastoma  

 

 

We recommend systemic chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy for IRSS stages II-III orbital and regional lymph node involvement.

Strong Recommendation

For stage IV metastatic eyes, we recommend systemic chemotherapy, followed by high dose chemotherapy and stem cell rescue.

Strong Recommendation

Recommended systemic chemotherapy regimen includes 4 cycles of 4 drug regimen (VCR-CDDP-CPM-ETOP)

Strong Recommendation

5- Surveillance

 

We recommend EUA every 3-4 weeks for patients receiving active anti-tumor treatment till the end of therapy.

Strong Recommendation

We recommend 1-2 months EUA starting at the end of therapy and continuing for 24 months thereafter for patients who present with unilateral disease and are younger than 2 years of age at presentation or bilateral disease of any age.

Strong Recommendation

We recommend life long follow up and counseling for bilateral RB patients and patients with positive family history of RB as well as sibling screening.

Strong Recommendation

For sibling screening we recommend EUA at intervals:

•  Every 2 weeks since birth till 8 weeks of age,

•  then monthly till 1 year of age,

•  then every 3 months till 3 years of age,

•  then every 6 months till 7 years of age

Strong recommendation

For unilateral retinoblastoma patients who are older than 2 years of age we recommend extending ophthalmology examination intervals post therapy, reaching 6 monthly by age of 5 and annually thereafter.

Strong recommendation

We recommend that RB survivors treated with chemotherapy or EBRT , follow up at oncology clinic every 3 months then for longer intervals as clinically warranted.

Strong Recommendation