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About Retinoblastoma
Overview
If your child has been diagnosed with retinoblastoma or you are worried about it, you
likely have a lot of questions. Learning some basics is a good place to start.
● What Is Retinoblastoma?
Research and Statistics
See the latest estimates for new cases of retinoblastoma in the US and what research is
currently being done.
● Key Statistics for Retinoblastoma
● What’s New in Retinoblastoma Research?
What Is Retinoblastoma?
Cancer starts when cells begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the
body can become cancer, and can spread to other areas. To learn more about how
cancers start and spread, see What Is Cancer?1 For information about the differences
between childhood cancers and adult cancers, see Cancer in Children2.
Retinoblastoma is a cancer that starts in the retina, the very back part of the eye. It is
the most common type of eye cancer in children. Rarely, children can have other kinds
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of eye cancer, such as medulloepithelioma, which is described briefly below, or ocular
(eye) melanoma3.
To understand retinoblastoma, it helps to know how the parts of the eye work.
The eye
The main part of the eye is the eyeball (also known as the globe), which is filled with a
jelly-like material called vitreous humor. The front of the eyeball has a clear lens with
an iris (the colored part of the eye that acts like a camera shutter), which allows light to
enter the eye and focuses it on the retina.
The retina is the inner layer of cells in the back of the eye. It is made up of special nerve
cells that are sensitive to light. These light-sensing cells are connected to the brain by
the optic nerve, which runs out the back of the eyeball. The pattern of light (image) that
reaches the retina is sent through the optic nerve to an area of the brain called the
visual cortex, allowing us to see.
How does retinoblastoma develop?
The eyes start to develop well before birth. During the early stages of development, the
eyes have cells called retinoblasts, which multiply to make new cells that fill the retina.
At a certain point, these cells stop multiplying and become mature retinal cells.
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Rarely, something goes wrong with this process. Instead of maturing, some retinoblasts
continue to grow out of control, forming a cancer known as retinoblastoma.
The chain of events inside cells that leads to retinoblastoma is complex, but it almost
always starts with a change (mutation) in the RB1 gene. The normal RB1 gene helps
keep cells from growing out of control, but a change in the gene stops it from working
like it should. Depending on when and where the change in the RB1 gene occurs, it can
result in 2 different types of retinoblastoma.
Congenital (heritable) retinoblastoma
In about 1 out of 3 children with retinoblastoma, the abnormality in the RB1 gene is
congenital (present at birth) and is in all the cells of the body, including all of the cells of
both retinas. This is known as a germline mutation.
Despite this sometimes being called 'heritable' (or 'hereditary'), in most of these
children, there is no family history of this cancer, and the RB1 gene change is not
inherited from a parent. In these children, the gene change first occurs during early
development in the womb. Only a small portion of the children born with this gene
change inherit it from a parent.
Children born with a mutation in the RB1 gene usually develop retinoblastoma in both
eyes (known as bilateral retinoblastoma), and there are often several tumors within
the eye (known as multifocal retinoblastoma).
Because all of the cells in the body have the changed RB1 gene, these children also
have a higher risk of developing cancers in other parts of the body.
● A small number of children with this form of retinoblastoma will develop another
tumor in the brain, usually in the pineal gland at the base of the brain (a
pineoblastoma). This is also known as trilateral retinoblastoma.
● For survivors of hereditary retinoblastoma, the risk of developing other cancers later
in life is also higher than average (to learn more, see After Treatment for
Retinoblastoma4).
Sporadic (non-heritable) retinoblastoma
In about 2 out of 3 children with retinoblastoma, the abnormality in the RB1 gene
develops in only one cell in one eye. It is not known what causes this change. A child
who has sporadic (non-heritable) retinoblastoma develops only one tumor in one eye.
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This type of retinoblastoma is often found when the child is slightly older compared with
those who have the heritable form.
Children with this type of retinoblastoma do not have the same increased risk of other
cancers as children with congenital retinoblastoma.
For more on the heritable and non-heritable forms of retinoblastoma, see What Causes
Retinoblastoma?5
How does retinoblastoma grow and spread?
If retinoblastoma tumors are not treated, they can grow and fill much of the eyeball.
Cells might break away from the main tumor on the retina and reach other parts of the
eye, where they can form more tumors. These tumors might block the channels that let
fluid circulate within the eye, raising the pressure inside the eye. This can cause
glaucoma, which can lead to pain and loss of vision in the affected eye.
Most retinoblastomas are found and treated before they have spread outside the
eyeball. But if they are not, retinoblastoma cells can spread to other parts of the body.
The cells sometimes grow along the optic nerve and reach the brain. Retinoblastoma
cells can also grow through the covering layers of the eyeball and into the eye socket,
eyelids, and nearby tissues. Once the cancer is outside the eyeball, it can then spread
to lymph nodes6 (small bean-sized collections of immune system cells) and to other
organs such as the liver, bones, and bone marrow (the soft, inner part of many bones).
Intraocular medulloepithelioma
Medulloepithelioma is a very rare type of tumor that can start in the eye. It is not a type
of retinoblastoma, but it's mentioned here because it also usually occurs in young
children.
Medulloepitheliomas start in the ciliary body, which is near the front of the eye (see
image above). Most of these tumors are malignant (cancerous), but they rarely spread
outside the eye. They usually cause eye pain and loss of vision.
The diagnosis is made when a doctor finds a tumor in the eye by using an
ophthalmoscope (an instrument that helps doctors to look inside the eye). As with
retinoblastoma, the diagnosis is usually made based on where the tumor is inside the
eye and how it looks. A biopsy (removing cells from the tumor to be looked at under a
microscope) to confirm the diagnosis is almost never done because it might harm the
eye or risk spreading the cancer outside of the eye.
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Treatment for medulloepithelioma is almost always surgery to remove the eye. This
usually gets rid of all of the cancer, as long as it was still only in the eye.
Hyperlinks
1. www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/what-is-cancer.html
2. www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-in-children.html
3. www.cancer.org/cancer/eye-cancer.html
4. www.cancer.org/cancer/retinoblastoma/after-treatment/follow-up.html
5. www.cancer.org/cancer/retinoblastoma/causes-risks-prevention/what-causes.html
6. www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/lymph-nodes-and-cancer.html
References
Hurwitz RL, Shields CL, Shields JA, et al. Chapter 27: Retinoblastoma. In: Pizzo PA,
Poplack DG, eds. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology. 7th ed. Philadelphia,
Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2016.
Kaufman PL, Kim J, Berry JL. Retinoblastoma: Clinical presentation, evaluation, and
diagnosis. UpToDate. Accessed at www.uptodate.com/contents/retinoblastoma-clinical-
presentation-evaluation-and-diagnosis on September 18, 2018.
National Cancer Institute. Retinoblastoma Treatment (PDQ®). 2018. Accessed at
www.cancer.gov/types/retinoblastoma/hp/retinoblastoma-treatment-pdq on September
18, 2018.
Rodriguez-Galindo C, Orbach DB, VanderVeen D. Retinoblastoma. Pediatr Clin North
Am. 2015;62(1):201-223.
Last Medical Review: December 3, 2018 Last Revised: December 3, 2018
Key Statistics for Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is the most common type of eye cancer in children. It accounts for
about 2% of all childhood cancers. Still, it is rare overall. Only about 200 to 300 children
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are diagnosed with retinoblastoma each year in the United States.
Retinoblastoma is most common in infants and very young children. The average age of
children is 2 when it is diagnosed. It rarely occurs in children older than 6.
About 3 out of 4 children with retinoblastoma have a tumor in only one eye (known as
unilateral retinoblastoma). In about 1 case in 4, both eyes are affected (known as
bilateral retinoblastoma).
Retinoblastoma occurs about equally in boys and girls and in different races and
ethnicities. It also occurs equally in the right or left eye.
Overall, more than 9 out of 10 children in the United States with retinoblastoma are
cured, but the outlook is not as good if the cancer has spread outside of the eye.
References
American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2020. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer
Society; 2020.
Dome JS, Rodriguez-Galindo C, Spunt SL, Santana VM. Chapter 95: Pediatric Solid
Tumors. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds.
Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier; 2014.
Hurwitz RL, Shields CL, Shields JA, et al. Chapter 27: Retinoblastoma. In: Pizzo PA,
Poplack DG, eds. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology. 7th ed. Philadelphia,
Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2016.
Kaufman PL, Kim J, Berry JL. Retinoblastoma: Treatment and outcome. UpToDate.
Accessed www.uptodate.com/contents/retinoblastoma-treatment-and-outcome on
September 18, 2018.
Rodriguez-Galindo C, Orbach DB, VanderVeen D. Retinoblastoma. Pediatr Clin North
Am. 2015;62(1):201-223.
Last Medical Review: December 3, 2018 Last Revised: January 8, 2020
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What’s New in Retinoblastoma
Research?
Over the past few decades, research into retinoblastoma has led to many advances in
treatment, which in turn has led to much higher cure rates and fewer side effects. Still,
not all children are cured, and even those who are cured might still have long-term side
effects from treatment, so more research is needed.
Research on retinoblastoma is being done at many medical centers, university
hospitals, and other institutions around the world.
Genetics, genetic testing, and gene therapy
The defective gene responsible for nearly all retinoblastomas (the RB1 gene1) was
identified in 1986. This discovery, along with technical advances in finding DNA
changes, has made genetic testing for heritable (hereditary) retinoblastoma possible.
A great deal of research has gone into figuring out how certain DNA changes in retinal
cells cause them to become cancerous. Scientists understand these changes better for
retinoblastoma than for most other cancer types. Although probably still years away,
researchers hope that this understanding will one day lead to gene therapies, very
specific treatments that can repair or counteract these DNA changes.
For example, researchers have found that an oncogene known as SYK is overactive in
retinoblastoma cells. Drugs that target the protein this gene makes are now being
developed. Another gene called MDM4 also seems to be involved in the development of
retinoblastoma, and drugs aimed at blocking its effects are being studied.
Researchers have also found that a very small portion of retinoblastomas don’t seem to
have changes in the RB1 gene, but instead have too many copies of another gene
called MYCN. These cancers seem to be different in some important ways from those
with RB1 gene changes.
Treatment
Research is building on the progress made in treating retinoblastoma over the past few
decades.
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Radiation therapy
External radiation therapy can be used to treat retinoblastoma, but it can cause side
effects because the radiation often reaches nearby tissues as well. This is especially
important in children with hereditary retinoblastoma, whose cells are more likely to be
damaged by radiation.
Newer forms of radiation therapy such as intensity modulated radiation therapy
(IMRT) and proton beam therapy can better target the tumor and spare nearby normal
tissues. These techniques, which are described in Radiation Therapy for
Retinoblastoma2, may help doctors limit the side effects from radiation therapy.
Focal treatments
Doctors continue to improve the techniques used for cryotherapy3, laser therapy4
(photocoagulation and thermotherapy), and other focal treatments. The goal is to kill
tumor cells more precisely while sparing other parts of the eye.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (chemo) has played a larger role in treating many retinoblastomas in
recent years.
Systemic chemo: Chemo given into a vein (IV) is now commonly used to shrink tumors
before local treatments such as cryotherapy or laser therapy. Chemo is also given to
some children after the removal of the eye (known as adjuvant chemotherapy) to help
prevent the recurrence of retinoblastoma outside the eye. Doctors are also studying the
use of different chemo drugs, as well as new ways of combining currently used drugs, to
try to improve how well chemo works.
Localized chemo: Doctors continue to improve upon newer ways of getting chemo into
the eye, such as intra-arterial chemo and intravitreal chemo. These approaches let
doctors get higher doses of chemo to the tumors while reducing many of the typical
chemo side effects, and are quickly becoming part of the standard treatment for many
retinoblastomas. These techniques are described in Chemotherapy for
Retinoblastoma5.
High-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant: A stem cell transplant (SCT) lets
doctors give higher doses of chemo than could safely be given otherwise. (In the past,
this type of treatment was commonly referred to as a bone marrow transplant.) Doctors
are studying the use of this type of treatment in children with retinoblastoma that has
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spread outside the eye and who are unlikely to be cured with other treatments.
Chemo drugs can affect quickly dividing cells like those in the bone marrow, which is
where new blood cells are made. Even though higher doses of these drugs might be
more effective in treating tumors, they can’t be given because they would cause severe
damage to bone marrow cells, leading to life-threatening shortages of blood cells.
To try to get around this problem, the doctor may treat the child with high-dose chemo
(sometimes along with radiation therapy) and then use a stem cell transplant to “rescue”
the bone marrow.
To learn more about stem cell transplants, including how they are done, see Stem Cell
Transplant for Cancer6.
Oncolytic virus therapy
Researchers are also trying to find ways to take advantage of the gene changes in
retinoblastoma cells to treat these tumors. One example is VCN-01, a virus that’s been
modified in the lab to infect and destroy cells that don’t have working copies of the RB1
gene (which includes the vast majority of retinoblastomas). This treatment is now being
studied in the earliest phases of clinical trials.
Hyperlinks
1. www.cancer.org/cancer/retinoblastoma/causes-risks-prevention/what-causes.html
2. www.cancer.org/cancer/retinoblastoma/treating/radiation-therapy.html
3. www.cancer.org/cancer/retinoblastoma/treating/cryotherapy.html
4. www.cancer.org/cancer/retinoblastoma/treating/laser-therapy.html
5. www.cancer.org/cancer/retinoblastoma/treating/chemotherapy.html
6. www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/stem-cell-
transplant.html
References
Hurwitz RL, Shields CL, Shields JA, et al. Chapter 27: Retinoblastoma. In: Pizzo PA,
Poplack DG, eds. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology. 7th ed. Philadelphia,
Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2016.
Kaufman PL, Kim J, Berry JL. Retinoblastoma: Treatment and outcome. UpToDate.
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American Cancer Society cancer.org | 1.800.227.2345
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Accessed www.uptodate.com/contents/retinoblastoma-treatment-and-outcome on
September 25, 2018.
Rodriguez-Galindo C, Orbach DB, VanderVeen D. Retinoblastoma. Pediatr Clin North
Am. 2015;62(1):201-223.
Rushlow DE, Mol BM, Kennett JY, et al. Characterisation of retinoblastomas without
RB1 mutations: Genomic, gene expression, and clinical studies. Lancet Oncol.
2013;14:327–334.
Zhang J, Benavente CA, McEvoy J, et al. A novel retinoblastoma therapy from genomic
and epigenetic analyses. Nature. 2012;481:329–334.
Last Medical Review: December 4, 2018 Last Revised: December 3, 2018
Written by
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
(www.cancer.org/cancer/acs-medical-content-and-news-staff.html)
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of
cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in
medical writing.
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint
requests, please see our Content Usage Policy (www.cancer.org/about-
us/policies/content-usage.html).
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