How does retinoblastoma affect your life?

How does retinoblastoma affect your life?

Children with the heritable form of retinoblastoma have a much higher risk of developing other types of cancer throughout their lives. This is because each cell in the body has an abnormal RB1 tumor suppressor gene, which if it were normal would help stop some of these cancers from forming.

Are there any lifestyle choices associated with retinoblastoma?

Some studies have suggested some parental factors that might be linked to an increased risk of retinoblastoma, such as: Diets low in fruits and vegetables among mothers during pregnancy. Exposure to chemicals in gasoline or diesel exhaust during pregnancy. Exposure of fathers to radiation.

What is the lifespan of someone with retinoblastoma?

Doctors often use the observed survival rate when they talk about a prognosis. The 5-year observed survival for retinoblastoma in children 0 to 14 years of age is 96%. This means that, on average, 96% of children diagnosed with retinoblastoma are expected to live at least 5 years after their diagnosis.

How is the family of a person with retinoblastoma affected?

Children with hereditary retinoblastoma are at an increased risk to: Develop other tumors (such as more retinoblastoma tumors, pineal gland tumors, skin, bone and muscle tumors) Develop second cancers after exposure to radiation. Transmit the condition to some of their future children.

Who is mostly affected by retinoblastoma?

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).

Do adults get retinoblastoma?

Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer that begins in the retina — the sensitive lining on the inside of your eye. Retinoblastoma most commonly affects young children, but can rarely occur in adults.

What are the causes of retinoblastoma?

A genetic mutation (a change in the child’s genes) causes retinoblastoma. The gene that causes retinoblastoma is called RB1. The mutation causes cells in the eye to grow uncontrollably, forming a tumor. Around 40% of the time, the child inherits the RB1 mutation from a parent (heritable retinoblastoma).

What cancers are associated with retinoblastoma?

Having hereditary retinoblastoma increases the risk of developing other cancers outside of the eye. These cancers include pinealoma (a tumor in the pineal gland in the brain), a type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma, cancers of soft tissues (such as muscle), and a form of skin cancer called melanoma.

How does someone get retinoblastoma?

Hereditary retinoblastoma is passed from parents to children in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means only one parent needs a single copy of the mutated gene to pass the increased risk of retinoblastoma on to the children. If one parent carries a mutated gene, each child has a 50% chance of inheriting that gene.

What happens if retinoblastoma goes untreated?

Untreated, retinoblastoma can spread widely: Throughout the retina. Throughout the fluid inside the eye (also called the vitreous). Large tumors may detach from the retina and break into smaller tumors, called vitreous seeds.

How does retinoblastoma occur in humans?

Retinoblastoma occurs when nerve cells in the retina develop genetic mutations. These mutations cause the cells to continue growing and multiplying when healthy cells would die. This accumulating mass of cells forms a tumor. Retinoblastoma cells can invade further into the eye and nearby structures.

Does retinoblastoma affect adults?

Anatomy of the eye Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer that begins in the retina — the sensitive lining on the inside of your eye. Retinoblastoma most commonly affects young children, but can rarely occur in adults. Your retina is made up of nerve tissue that senses light as it comes through the front of your eye.

Can a child with retinoblastoma survive beyond the eye?

The cancer has spread to tissues around the eye or to other parts of the body. Most children with eye cancer who begin treatment before the retinoblastoma has spread beyond the eye are cured. A major goal of treatment in children with retinoblastoma is preserving vision.

What happens to your body when you get retinoblastoma?

When retinoblastoma is associated with a genetic change (mutation) that occurs in all of the body’s cells, it is known as hereditary (or germinal) retinoblastoma. People with this form of retinoblastoma typically develop cancer in both eyes and also have an increased risk of developing several other cancers outside the eye.

How often does retinoblastoma affect males and females?

Retinoblastoma affects males slightly more often than females. The incidence in the United States and Europe is estimated to be 2-5 children per 1,000,000 people in the general population. The age-adjusted annual incidence for children aged 0-4 in the United States is 10-14 children per 1,000,000.

Are there any known risk factors for retinoblastoma?

There are very few known risk factors for retinoblastoma, but the main gene changes inside cells that can lead to retinoblastoma are now fairly well known. Early in fetal development, well before birth, cells in the retina of the eye divide to make new cells to fill the retina.