This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) eLetters: Submit a response to this article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints/Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Pratt, C. B. Articles by Meyer, D. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Pratt, C. B. Articles by Meyer, D.

Proposal for a New Staging Scheme for Intraocular and Extraocular Retinoblastoma Based on an Analysis of 103 Globes

^a Departments of Hematology/Oncology, ^b Radiation Oncology, ^c Biostatistics, and ^d Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA and ^c Departments of Pediatrics, ^b Radiation Oncology, and ^d Pathology, University of Tennessee, Memphis School of Medicine, Memphis, Tennessee, USA and ^c Vitreoretinal Foundation, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Correspondence: Charles B. Pratt, M.D., St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 318, Memphis, TN 38101-0318, USA. Telephone: 901-495-3300; Fax: 901-521-9005.

Management of retinoblastoma is highly individualized and depends heavily on grouping or staging. In view of evolving methods of imaging and treating retinoblastoma, we have developed and evaluated a revised staging scheme. We analyzed the survival data of 73 patients treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to compare the ability of the Reese-Ellsworth grouping system, the original St. Jude, and the modified St. Jude staging schemes to predict progression-free survival. None of the staging schemes significantly correlated with progression-free survival. This modified staging scheme provides an instrument for assessing the natural history of retinoblastoma based on ophthalmologic, other clinical, and imaging findings. Because it can identify patients at higher risk, the modified St. Jude scheme may be useful in selecting appropriate therapy regimens for children with retinoblastoma.

Key Words. Retinoblastoma • Reese-Ellsworth groupings • Staging • Outcome