Retinoblastoma rising among Indian children: AIIMS

Retinoblastoma, a rare type of eye cancer, is a fast emerging disease among Indian children, leading eye specialists at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said here on Thursday.

They averred that though earlier the disease used to occur 1 in 20,000 live births but now the rise in the disease is such that every year over 20,000 new cases of retinoblastoma are being witnessed.

The opthalmologists stated that late diagnosis and misconceptions about the symptoms were the major reasons that the eye cancer even extended to the brain and then to the entire body, ultimately leaving no option of treatment for the patients.

"Retinoblastoma basically occurs among children below five years. This can be caused both genetically and non-genetically. The problem with Indian children is that due to lack of awareness the parents bring their children only after observing any thing major in the eyes of their children," said Bhavana Chawla, associate professor at RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS.

She was speaking to reporters during a discussion at AIIMS on the rise of retinoblastoma.

Noting that many people in India didn't recognise the symptoms of eye cancer due to lack of awareness, Chawla said that any patient with a white spot in the eye, squint or any type of shine in the eye balls should come and get tested for retinoblastoma.

She also said that in many cases it becomes difficult for doctors to save the eye sight which gets majorly affected during the disease.

Professor Pradeep Sharma at RP centre said that the major problem with Indians suffering from retinoblastoma is that they approach the doctors at a very late stage even though India has made some of the finest medical advancements in treating eye cancer.

"Treatments like surgery, laser surgery, chemotherapy with perfect effect are the only way to cure the disease. The situation is such that currently it is not possible to save the eyesight of the patient after the surgery, however research is on to make it possible," Sharma told IANS.