epidemiology

Last reviewed 01/2018

Retinoblastoma is a rare condition which affects about 1 in 20 000 live births (1).

• approximately 40 new cases are diagnosed each year (1)
• majority are seen in children younger than 5 years
• average age at diagnosis is at 18 months (2)

The incidence In UK decreases noticeably after the age of 1 year:

• in children aged less than 1 year - 23.6 cases per million
• in children aged 1-4 years - 8.2 cases per million
• in children aged 5-9 years - 0.6 cases per million (2)

Worldwide the incidence of retinoblastoma is around 1 case per 15,000-20,000 live births (around 9000 new cases every year) (4)

• in developing countries the incidence is higher than in developed countries (3)
• Asia and Africa has the highest disease burden (due to  high birth rates) (4)
• in northern Europe it has remained more or less unchanged over the past 50 years (3).

Bilateral disease are diagnosed earlier (at 12 months) when compared to unilateral disease (at 23 months) (2).

Reference:

• (1) Carter J. Retinoblastoma. GPonline 2009.
• (2) McDaid C et al. Systematic review of effectiveness of different treatments for childhood retinoblastoma. Health Technol Assess. 2005;9(48):iii, ix-x, 1-145. 
• (3) Chintagumpala M et al. Retinoblastoma: review of current management. Oncologist. 2007;12(10):1237-46
• (4) Dimaras H et al. Retinoblastoma. Lancet. 2012;379(9824):1436-46