Life Desk :
The World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week is observed this year from May 11 to May 17. Although it is a rare disease, retinoblastoma is the most common type of eye tumor seen in children.
Retinoblastoma is a type of cancer of the eye which develops in children before the age of 5 years. As the name suggests it is a cancer that starts in retina, which is the inner lining at the back of the eye. Retina is made up of specialized nerve cells that are sensitive to light. If left untreated, the cancer cells spread and fill most of the eyeball. Sometimes if the disease has progressed beyond repair, the eye has to be taken out.
About one-third of the children suffering from retinoblastoma have an abnormal gene that causes this cancer. Some children with this type of hereditary retinoblastoma will develop another tumor in the brain or other cancers at some point in their life.
Common but characteristic signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma include:
A whitish color behind the pupil called leukocoria or ‘cat’s eye reflex’.
