Long-term incidence and survival trends in retinoblastoma in the USA
Reviewed by Ian Reekie

The authors present a retrospective observational study of 5730 patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma between 1996 and 2018. Data on demographics, age at diagnosis, treatment and survival were extracted from national registries with coverage of 99% of the population of the USA. The overall incidence of retinoblastoma was found to be 0.89 per million population, with a slight but significant decline in incidence over the 22 years of the study, along with an increase of the proportion of patients diagnosed within the first year of life. Changes in treatment modalities were also apparent in the data, with a decline in number of patients receiving radiotherapy and an increase in use of chemotherapy. In more recent years, a decline in enucleation rates is also apparent. Survival rates were not significantly different between unilateral and bilateral disease, and though the authors comment on a trend towards worsening survival rates in unilateral disease, this does not seem to be a statistically significant decline. This is a large dataset on a relatively rare cancer and gives a clear picture of changes in incidence and treatment strategies over the years.

Nationwide incidence and survival of retinoblastoma in the USA between 1996 and 2018: a review of 5730 cases.
Alfaar AS, Halalsheh H, Shelil AE, Qaddoumi I.
OPHTHALMIC GENETICS
2025;46(2):144–53.