Clinical features and outcome of retinoblastoma at the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital

ObjectivesTo characterize the clinical features, treatment, and outcome of children diagnosed with retinoblastoma (RB) at Vietnam National Cancer Hospital. MethodsThe study enrolled all RB patients newly diagnosed at Vietnam National Cancer Hospital from January 2018 to December 2022. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) and the eye salvage rate. ResultsIn total, 139 patients were enrolled, 51.8% patients were male. Median age was 18.9 months. Most patients presented with leukocoria (63.3%), followed by strabismus (14.4%), and 43.9% had bilateral disease. Of 200 eyes, 129 (64.5%) were classified as group E. Extraocular extension was noted in 10 of 139 patients (7.2%). About one-third of the patients lived more than 300 kilometers (km) away from these hospitals, and 17.3% of the patients belonged to minority groups, both of which were dominated by group E and extraocular or high-risk eyes at the time of consultation. Primary enucleation was done for 57 eyes (28.5%), and 51 of 61 patients (83.6%) received eye salvage therapy in bilateral RB group. At study closure, 127 children were alive at the last follow-up, 12 cases were confirmed dead. The 5-year OS and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 90.3% and 85.9%, respectively. In particular, ethnic minority, distance to hospital more than 150 km, and extraocular disease were significantly associated with higher mortality among children with RB treated in Vietnam National Cancer Hospital. ConclusionsThere is a need to support for screening RB with early symptoms in grassroots medical facilities and raise awareness among patients' families through health education programs. Besides, caring and supporting treatment for patients from the ethnic minority and who live far from hospitals are also extremely necessary.