Hyderabad: Despite advanced treatment options, eye cancer among children aged between three and five years is going undetected due to the inability of doctors to identify it or guide patients to a proper ophthalmologist for check-up, experts said. According to them, parents are also unaware that cancer can develop in the eye.
Every month, advanced diagnostic centres in the city are detecting 20 cases of retinoblastoma. This is very high compared to the numbers earlier.
Dr Y. Narahari, a senior ophthalmologist explained, “Retinoblast-oma is a slow cancer. It develops very slowly. Also parents do not act fast when they see a white reflex in the eye. We have found umpteen cases where the child has been taken to a paediatrician or an optometrist and proper testing has not been done. The eye requires a fundus examination which can be done only by an ophthalmologist.”
The slow growing tumour is found to increase from three years of age and becomes a full blown one by five years. In many cases it is found to affect both the eyes and also spreads to the brain.
Dr Swati Kalki, eye cancer specialist at LV Prasad Eye Hospital said, “This is a treatable cancer if detected early. The vision as well as life of the child can be saved. But the problem is that most of them come at an advanced stage.”
When cancer spreads from the eyes to the brain and to the rest of the body it becomes extremely difficult to save the child. Over the past five years, there has been a 20 per cent increase in retinoblastoma cases. Of the total cases, one-third are at an advanced stage where cure is impossible.
Problem in your genes, counselling essential
The eye-cancer or retinoblastoma is due to genetic mutations. Hence genetic counselling for parents is very important.
Dr Y. Hardias, eye-specialist explained, "Ten to 15 per cent of the cases show a family history of cancer. Hence it is very important that in these families genetic counselling is done so that the child can be followed up from the beginning. This helps not only in saving vision but also the child.”
In some cases, experts have found that the first child has retinoblastoma and then the parents are counselled to take genetic tests for the second child to ensure that there is no repeat.
