Causes of delayed presentation of retinoblastoma

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the Causes of Delayed Presentation of Retinoblastoma. Materials and methods: This study was carried out at the department of ophthalmology DHQ TH Bannu from January 2022 to January 2023. In this research newly recruited patients were included who were receiving therapy for retinoblastoma during that time. For this study, parents of patients who came into the hospital were gathered. A form via the patient's information was noted. First symptom, duration after onset of initial symptom, gender, age at first visit. The data analysis software used was SPSS version 20. The importance of each factor was determined using the Pearson Chi Square test. Results A total of 80 participants were include in the study. 52(65%) patients had delayed presentation, 57(71%) had delayed referral presentation and 65(81%) had advanced diseases at the time of presentation. Various factors involved in the delay presentation. These factors are, living in a remote region; financial hardship; social pressure; knowledge of the severity of the illness; lack of transportation; Fear of enucleation and looking for alternative medications or non-medical treatments. Each factor significance was calculated through chi-square test.