Update on retinoblastoma

Learning Objectives After completion of this article, the reader will be able to 1) state the therapeutic interventions that are currently used to treat intraocular retinoblastoma, and to outline the mechanism of action, indications, contra-indications, and current success rates for each form of treatment; 2) outline the current understanding of the genetics of retinoblastoma including the location and size of the retinoblastoma gene, the role of the retinoblastoma protein in the cell cycle, the basic idea behind the two-hit model, the role of other mutations of than those in the retinoblastoma gene in the genesis of clinical retinoblastoma, and the various forms of genetic testing now offered to families affected by retinoblastoma; and 3) identify the risk factors for the development of second cancers in retinoblastoma patients, the types of cancers that these patients develop most commonly, and the precautions that should be taken by patients to decrease their risk.