Retinoblastoma Radiation Therapy Experience in a Tertiary Institution in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

A BSTRACT Introduction: Retinoblastoma (Rb), a rare form of primary ocular cancer that typically affects young children. Modern treatment in the early stage of the disease offers good treatment outcomes without visual loss. However, due to scarce resources and infrastructure, most developing societies have limited access to radiation therapy. Aim: To review the radiation therapy experience in the management of Rb in a tertiary institution in Lagos. Methodology: A retrospective hospital-based review of the radiation treatment cases of Rb seen at a tertiary hospital in Lagos from January 1997 to December 2016. Data were obtained from patients’ case files following institutional review board approval. Statistical analysis was done using the IBM SPSS (version 26) program. Results: Fifty-one Rb patients were studied, age range of 8 months to 21 years, with an overall mean age of 30.96 months was recorded during the study period. Sixteen (31.4%) patients had complete radiation treatment using a Linear accelerator. Most patients had Direct Anterior and lateral fields treated to a depth of 3 cm. Total radiation doses ranged from 8 Gy to 45 Gy with daily fractions ranging from 119 to 333 cGy/fraction. There was a significant correlation between the total dose of radiation received and the treatment intention ( P = 0.035). Conclusion: The predominance of late-stage presentation highlights systemic challenges in early detection and timely intervention. While external beam radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy offer some tumor control, their effectiveness is constrained by infrastructural limitations. Bridging the gap between low- and middle-income countries and high-income countries in Rb care will require coordinated efforts.