Long-term visual outcome following chemoreduction for retinoblastoma.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate long-term visual outcome following chemoreduction. DESIGN Interventional case series evaluating 54 eyes of 40 children with retinoblastoma successfully treated with chemoreduction, consisting of a combination of intravenous carboplatin, etoposide phosphate, and vincristine sulfate plus focal therapy without external beam radiotherapy or enucleation. All patients were followed up for at least 5 years. Patient and tumor data were analyzed for their effect on the main outcome measures (final visual acuities of 20/40 or better and of 20/200 or better) using univariate and multivariate regression models. Patients who failed chemoreduction were excluded. RESULTS There were 4 eyes in Reese-Ellsworth group I, 7 in group II, 3 in group III, 15 in group IV, and 25 in group V. The mean distance from the posterior tumor margin to the optic disc was 2 mm, and from the tumor margin to the foveola it was 3 mm. After a mean follow-up of 68 months, 27 eyes (50%) had a final visual acuity of 20/40 or better, and 36 eyes (67%) had final visual acuity of 20/200 or better. Of 33 eyes with macular tumor, only 8 (24%) had a final visual acuity of 20/40 or better, and 15 (45%) had a final visual acuity of 20/200 or better. Of 21 eyes with extramacular tumor, 19 (90%) had a final visual acuity of 20/40 or better, and all (100%) had a final visual acuity of 20/200 or better. CONCLUSION The clinical factors that predicted visual acuity of 20/40 or better were a tumor margin at least 3 mm from the foveola and optic disc and an absence of subretinal fluid.