A language for retinoblastoma: Guidelines and standard operating procedures

Abstract

Retinoblastoma is the most common ocular cancer in children occurring in 1/15,000 to 20,000 live births, unchanged over many years [1]. Since only infants and children develop retinoblastoma, the birth rate and infant mortality rate of a country are the basis to estimate the number of affected children. India, with the highest birth rate in the world, also has the highest prevalence of retinoblastoma, estimated to be 1,600 new cases each year (Table 9.1). It is in such countries with high numbers of children with retinoblastoma that standardized optimal therapy may be especially valuable. Also, in countries with high numbers of retinoblastoma patients, clinical trials with significant enrollment can be especially important for advancing therapy of a very rare tumor such as retinoblastoma. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.