The Impact of Socioeconomic Factors in Retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is the most common malignant ocular tumor of childhood and one of the most common pediatric solid tumors. Delays in diagnosis are multi-factorial, including poor awareness by public and healthcare professionals, poor access to appropriate healthcare services, delays in referral process causing increased lag time and general socioeconomic problems. To investigate the effect of socioeconomic status on the extent of disease and outcomes of retinoblastoma. In this retrospective study, medical records of 141 retinoblastoma patients were reviewed. Most of the patient was diagnosed with the late stage of retinoblastoma and diagnosed between the age of 3 to 4 years old (43.26%). Protrusion of the eye was the most frequent presenting sign (66,67 %), while 43 patients (30.50%) came with leukocoria during first time visit to the hospital. Most of the patient was treated with a combination of exenteration and chemotherapy (43,97 %) due to an advanced stage. Based on socioeconomic status, most patients came from either low or middle economic status. Due to delay in diagnosis, most patients were treated with exenteration in combination with radiotherapy/chemotherapy (43.26%). Socioeconomic factors have a big role in the history and outcomes of retinoblastoma. It is required to improve human resources and facilities to provide better diagnosis and management of retinoblastoma in children.