5-month delay in treating children’s eye cancers, study

Retinoblastoma, a fast-growing eye cancer in children, often faces treatment delays of up to 5 months. This delay reduces survival chances. Raising awareness, improving healthcare access, and tackling social barriers are key to saving lives, especially in poorer countries

Hyderabad: Children with eye cancer, which is aggressive and doubles in size every two weeks, face an average delay of 150 days (five months) before reaching a doctor for treatment, after symptoms first appear. By the time medical help is sought, the eye cancer (retinoblastoma) has often had roughly 10 opportunities to double in size before treatment can even begin.

The delay in getting treatment for this deadly eye cancer is universal, as the latest research by Hyderabad-based researchers indicates the same trend is prevalent in nearly 10 countries, including India.

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The LVPEI researchers, whose study has been published in the prestigious ‘Seminars in Ophthalmology’ journal, found that the delay in treatment for eye cancer is longer in poorer countries, a clear indication that children from poor countries reach a health care facility with advanced cancer.

Significantly, longer delays were clearly linked to lower chances of saving the eye and, more importantly, a lower chance of the child surviving. The longer the delay, the higher the risk of death, the study indicated.

The challenge with retinoblastoma is its ability to grow super-fast. As it doubles in size in two weeks, within a month, the cancer fills the whole eye. If not caught quickly, the cancer can kill the child, often before they turn even two years old, the LVPEI research indicated.

A total of 450 eye cancer experts from around the world came together to study retinoblastoma and looked at a total of 692 children with this cancer. The study indicated that apart from poverty, access to specialised hospitals and experienced doctors also plays an important role in failure to save the eyes. In fact, the study found that many children had to visit multiple hospitals before finding the one that could help them.

The eye specialists in the study have come up with specific suggestions and advice to address the challenge of poor outcomes in retinoblastoma, particularly by reducing the lag time in accessing diagnostics and treatment.

• Improving awareness about eye cancer to reduce treatment delays

• Strengthening healthcare that can identify and treat retinoblastoma

• Overcoming social barriers like refusal to seek treatment by engaging volunteers

• Many refuse treatment due to social, cultural and economic factors

• Once detected, eye cancer should be managed aggressively

• Patients must be followed up for at least 3 years to catch any spread of tumour

• India has the highest incidence of eye cancers in the world

• Predominantly affects children in 0 to 4 years age group