Neonatal retinoblastoma: a brief report from the Malaysian Retinoblastoma Registry

Abstract

Neonatal retinoblastoma is more widely reported in developed countries than in developing countries. We have conducted a retrospective case series to understand the nature of neonatal retinoblastoma in Malaysia due to lack of data from developing countries.

A retrospective record review of 295 patients was conducted from the Retinoblastoma Registry on the National Eye Database (NED) between January 2005 and December 2019. Six out of 295 patients (2.03%) were identified as neonatal retinoblastoma in Malaysia from 2005 until 2019 compared to developed countries, in which the detection rate were 3.5 to 10 times higher.

Lack of awareness among survivor parents about the risk of their newborns developing retinoblastoma in may be a contributing factor. Neonatal retinoblastoma is difficult to manage, thus close and continuous monitoring is needed in centres dedicated to retinoblastoma management.