Retinoblastoma

RB was documented in children more than 2,000 years ago. Cancerous growths have been discovered in dinosaurs.
 * Retinoblastoma ** By Jordan Engle and Tori Kager  [[image:Leukocoria.jpg width="414" height="188"]][[image:Inflamed_Tissue.jpg width="271" height="183"]]
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The other 6 cases are mutations that occur in the eye and are only somatic mutations. || It is the most common eye tumor in children, however, only 1 out of every 15,000 people have it. It is not usually diagnosed at birth; The overall average age for diagnosis is 18 months. Patients who carry the mutation have an approximately 80 to 90 percent chance of developing retinoblastoma and a 50 percent chance of passing the gene to their offspring. || It is life threatening, but, if treated properly, is rarely fatal || Vision-preserving treatments such as external beam radiation therapy (radiation treatment), localized plaque radiation therapy (radiation treatment), photocoagulation (laser treatment), cryotherapy (freezing treatment), and chemotherapy (radiation treatment) can be used, but are not fully effective. ||
 * 1. **Causes:** || It is an autosomal mutation when the Rb gene is lost from chromosome 13. [[image:ch8f7-1.jpg width="278" height="248" align="right"]] ||
 * 2. **Pattern of Inheritance:** || 4 cases out of 10 are inherited by germinal gene mutations in all cells in a parent’s body. If inherited, it is dominant, so only one mutated gene is necessary to exhibit the disorder.
 * 3. **Characteristics of the Disorder:** || Retinoblastoma can also be called Glioma, retinal, or RB.
 * 4. **Cont. of Characteristics:** || It is a cancer of the retina, but can spread to the brain and beyond. Those with RB are at a higher risk for other cancers. The eye may be come irritated or swollen, distorted out of normal alignment, or cloudy and blurred, making normal activities difficult.
 * 5. **Treatments:** || Enucleation is the most common treatment and the only true cure, in which the eye is surgically removed.
 * 6. **Prevention:** || RB cannot be prevented because it is a genetic mutation, but at-risk patients should be screened so treatment can begin at an early stage. ||
 * 7. **Testing:** || Retinoblastoma can be detected in children with a routine eye exam, a CT scan or MRI of the head to detect cancer, or an ultrasound of the eye. The disorder can also be found early by searching for point mutations in the retinoblastoma gene with gel electrophoresis or by examining direct DNA sequencing using polymerase chain reaction. ||

Sources: [] [] [] [] http://retinoblastoma.com/retinoblastoma/frameset1.htm http://bjo.bmj.com/content/82/5/517/F2.large.jpg http://health.yahoo.net/adamcontent/retinoblastoma/2 http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dinheritance%2Bretinoblastoma%26ei%3Dutf-8%26vm%3Dr%26y%3DSearch%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701&w=351&h=313&imgurl=www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fbooks%2FNBK21578%2Fbin%2Fch8f7.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fbooks%2FNBK21578%2F&size=54KB&name=...+in+retinobla...&p=inheritance+retinoblastoma&oid=fc2b9816c17e3cc1ef9cc5c14b3e0473&fr2=&no=13&tt=31&sigr=11bt4albi&sigi=11hposvdk&sigb=13df8bmbf&.crumb=h42HX/WO7z3&vm=r