ISSN 0886-3067

Volume No 38 Issue No 2

Causes of Delayed Presentation of Retinoblastoma in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Pakistan

Purpose: To find out the causes of delayed presentation of Retinoblastoma in a tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Questionnaire based Survey. Place and Duration of Study: Pediatric ophthalmology department of The Children’s Hospital, Lahore, from January 2018 to December 2019. Methods: Mothers of patients who presented in the hospital were recruited for this survey. A questionnaire with details of the patient were noted. It included first symptom, time lapse since onset of first symptom, gender, age at presentation to first doctor (general practitioner), time lapse to presentation at tertiary care center (The Children’s Hospital & Institute of Child health), gender and laterality. General physical Examination was done by an oncologist and examination under anesthesia was done by a pediatric ophthalmologist. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Pearson Chi Square test was used to find significance of each cause. Results: Seventy participants were included in the study. Delayed presentation was seen in 42 patients (60%). The various factors identified for delay in diagnosis and treatment in descending order are residence in rural areas 54 %, lack of finances 64%, social pressure 27%, awareness about disease severity 60%, lack of transport 54%, Fear of enucleation 38% and seeking non-medical treatment/ alternate medication 32%. Significance of each factor was calculated using chi-square test. Conclusion: The causes identified can be highlighted on national level for development of health facilities in rural areas.