Severe case of retinoblastoma in a male patient
Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer that begins in the retina - the sensitive lining on the inside of your eye. Retinoblastoma most commonly affects young children, but can rarely occur in adults. Your retina is made up of nerve tissue that senses light as it comes through the front of your eye. The retina sends signals through your optic nerve to your brain, where these signals are interpreted as images. Retinoblastoma occurs when nerve cells in the retina develop genetic mutations. These mutations cause the cells to continue growing and multiplying when healthy cells would die. This accumulating mass of cells forms a tumor. Retinoblastoma cells can invade further into the eye and nearby structures. Retinoblastoma can also spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body, including the brain and spine. In the majority of cases, it's not clear what causes the genetic mutations that lead to retinoblastoma. Enucleation of the eye along with removal of tumorous tissue is the treatment of choice in a case like this, together with chemo and radiotherapy, depending on the individual case.
