Retinoblastoma International Surging Ahead with Early Cancer Detection Program

When a diagnosis of retinoblastoma is made, the journey for that child has only just begun. Kids don’t usually die from retinoblastoma – well, not in developed countries, anyway. Unfortunately, it’s the links retinoblastoma has with secondary cancers later in life that cause the real problem.

Fact sheets and brochures have been produced over the years warning retinoblastoma survivors of the types of cancers to look out for, and how to monitor their bodies for any suspicious changes. But like anyone concerned with their health, detecting cancer is not always as simple as finding a lump.

Retinoblastoma International is an American charity that is involved in education and research on retinoblastoma. One of their desires in the research field has been to find a way of identifying a retinoblastoma survivor who is at risk of developing secondary cancers to enable early diagnosis.

Now they are closer to achieving this dream.

In the Proteomics Program, proteins that have been shed by cancer cells and are circulating in the blood can be studied to determine a person’s likelihood of developing a secondary cancer, such as osteosarcoma, soft tissue cancer or melanoma. The patterns these proteins take on are like markers that signal the type of cancer they represent.

Retinoblastoma International has just received a grant to kick off this project. And retinoblastoma is their focus. Further down the track, other childhood cancers will be studied. In their latest newsletter, they state that they hope to begin testing at the end of this year.

So for those of us who are adult survivors of retinoblastoma, there’s new hope for a more accurate method of detecting cancer. And I’m sure the test will be applied to children as well. I’ll be keeping a close eye on progress in the months to come.

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