Determining the Incidence of Retinoblastoma and Survival Rate of Retinoblastoma Patients in Puerto Rico using the Cancer Registry of Puerto Rico (1985-2012)

Abstract

Objective: To determine the incidence of retinoblastoma (Rb) and the survival rate of patients with Rb in Puerto Rico. Methods: This was a retrospective review of data from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry (1985 – 2012). Results: There were a total of 57 patients with Rb, with an overall incidence of 3.6 per 100,000 live births. By birth cohort, the incidence was 1 of every 29,393 live births. The mortality rate was 14.04% at 5 years. The incidence and the survival rate did not change over the 2 time periods that were compared: 1985 through 1998 and 1999 through 2012. Conclusion: The incidences of Rb are similar in Puerto Rico and the continental United States. However, our data indicate that the survival rate is lower in the former than it is in the latter. The incidence and the survival rate remained stable over the time studied.