Cancer is always a frightening diagnosis, and when it affects children, the situation is overwhelming. Eye cancer in children, though rare, is the third leading cancer of childhood. Retinoblastoma, a cancer of the retinal eye tissue, is the most common eye cancer in children. It affects approximately one in eighteen thousand live births without regard to race or gender. This number, in fact, probably underestimates the number of cases because children remain at risk for retinoblastoma during the first five years of life.

Retinoblastoma can be a particularly distressing form of cancer as it is potentially fatal and can result in vision loss of one or both eyes.

Fortunately, almost all children in North America can be successfully treated for retinoblastoma. Not only are children no longer dying of this disease, in most cases, with early diagnosis and treatment, children with retinoblastoma do not have to have an eye removed and will keep normal vision.

When they first learn of their child's diagnosis, many families want to gather as much information as possible. Because it is such a rare disease, there is very little information about retinoblastoma available to families. This website is designed to give you more information about retinoblastoma. It will discuss diagnosis, treatment options, follow-up, and the genetic aspects of retinoblastoma. It will also include common issues faced by parents that have been faced with a diagnosis of retinoblastoma in their child. Our aim is to help families better understand and effectively cope with retinoblastoma.

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