Monitoring
During treatment with chemotherapy, patients undergo regular, frequent examinations under anesthaesia to assess the response.
There is no international consensus regarding screening of children with a family history of retinoblastoma. Children at high risk may be screened every 2 to 4 weeks for the first 8 weeks of life, followed by monthly examinations during the first year.[42] Screening may be performed in the clinic or under anaesthesia. After the first year of life, children at risk may be screened under general anesthesia every 2 to 6 months depending on risk assessment.[42]
For all other patients with suspected retinoblastoma, no agreed examination schedule has been developed.[14] This is because the rate of formation of new retinoblastoma foci, the rate of recurrence of previously treated tumours, and the rate of formation of tumours in the fellow eye vary widely from patient to patient. The examination and treatment schedule is highly individualised and catered towards the patient's specific risk factors.
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