Retinoblastoma Treatment Cost in India

Retinoblastoma treatment in India typically ranges from $500 to $6,000 USD, depending on the hospital, city, and type of procedure.

Retinoblastoma is a cancer of the retina that occurs mostly in young children. Treatment often takes place in a series of sessions over months, and the cost depends on:

• Examinations under anaesthesia (EUA): repeated eye examinations under general anaesthesia to stage and monitor the tumour.
• Eye-saving treatment: chemotherapy (intravenous or intra-arterial) combined with laser therapy or cryotherapy.
• Enucleation: removal of the eye when it cannot be saved, with an implant and artificial eye.
• Genetic testing: RB1 testing for the child and family.

According to the NCI, treatment depends on whether one or both eyes are affected and whether the cancer has spread beyond the eye:

• Laser therapy and cryotherapy: for small tumours.
• Chemotherapy: systemic or delivered directly into the artery of the eye (intra-arterial) or into the eye (intravitreal).
• Radiotherapy: including plaque radiotherapy for some tumours.
• Enucleation: for advanced tumours where the eye cannot be saved; this is lifesaving.
• Treatment for spread outside the eye: intensive chemotherapy with stem cell rescue in some cases.

• White pupil (leukocoria): often noticed in flash photographs.
• A squint (crossed eyes): or a red, painful eye.
• Heritable retinoblastoma: caused by an RB1 mutation; it often affects both eyes and can be passed on.
• Siblings and children: of affected people need regular eye examinations from birth.

The NCI advises regular eye examinations, often every two to four months for the first years, for children at risk.

• Paediatric ocular oncology centre: choose a hospital with ophthalmic oncologists, paediatric oncologists and anaesthetists.
• Repeated visits: treatment sessions and EUAs are often scheduled every few weeks over several months.
• Records: photos showing white pupil, any scans and reports from previous examinations.
• Long-term follow-up: children with heritable disease need lifelong monitoring for other cancers.