A simple shade of color in the eyes of a little girl was enough to reveal a rare and aggressive cancer. While on vacation, his parents noticed an unusual change in the eyes of their three -year -old child. This detail, first subtle, turned out to be a sign of a retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the retina which mainly affects young children.
The first disturbing signs in the child’s eyes
It all started when a mother found that one of the eyes of her daughter, usually brown, had taken a greenish shade. A few days later, back home, she noticed an abnormal white glow in her pupil. Worried, she quickly consults an optician who, after exams, directs towards a specialist. The diagnosis falls: The child has a retinoblastoma, a form of eye cancer which can evolve quickly if it is not taken care of.
Retinoblastoma, rare cancer of the retina
The retinoblastoma occurs in children under the age of five and causes the development of a tumor at the retina. Each year, around 60 cases are identified in France and 300 in the United States. In 60 % of cases, only one eye is affected, while in 40 % of cases, both eyes are affected. Thanks to early screening, 98 % of young patients heal in France. Symptoms, often discreet, include a white reflection in the pupil, a red or fiery eye, a dilated pupil or even visual disorders. Signs sometimes difficult to spot, but which should encourage to consult without delay.
Possible treatments and parents’ testimony
The choice of treatment depends on the location and size of tumors. The smallest can be eliminated by laser or cryotherapy, while the largest requires chemotherapy or surgery. In the case of this little girl, the tumor was at the front of the eye and caused too high internal pressure. The doctors therefore had to proceed to a enucleation, that is to say to withdraw the reached eye. The eye analysis revealed the presence of cancer cells in the optic nerve, imposing heavy chemotherapy. As his mother reports to the Daily Mail: “Six series of intensive chemotherapy as well as the side effects that go with“.
After long months of care, the child is today in remission. However, it must spend an MRI every three months to ensure that no cancer cell reappears. Despite this, his parents entrust their relief to the Daily Mail: “It is a huge weight less that our little girl has accomplished something so big. When they meet her now, people do not even suspect that she has experienced so hard things“.
Doctors finally recall the importance of early screening. As specialists indicate: “If you fear that your child has a retinoblastoma, consult a general practitioner or an optician as soon as you can“.