UNILATERAL RETINOBLASTOMA IN AN ADULT - REPORT OF A CASE AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Purpose: The authors report the clinical, cytologic, and histopatholog ic findings of a unilateral retinoblastoma occurring in a 26-year-old woman, This tumor usually affects young children; the mean age at the time of diagnosis usually ranges from 10 to 25 months. Methods: Histop athologic examination of the enucleated right eye included using stand ard techniques, as well as immunohistochemical stains of formalin-fixe d, paraffin-embedded tissues. Results: Histologic examination of secti ons of the eye showed a retinal tumor that was centered in the equator ial region and had the typical features of a poorly differentiated ret inoblastoma. Focal choroidal invasion and seeding of the anterior and posterior chambers were observed. Immunoreactivity of the tumor cells for neuron-specific enolase confirmed that the tumor is a neuronal neo plasm consistent with retinoblastoma. Conclusion: Retinoblastoma occur ring in adults is a rare finding, In most large series of retinoblasto mas, no adults are included. Only eight patients 20 years of age or ol der with retinoblastomas have been documented previously. In the curre nt case, the patient had no evidence of orbital recurrence or metastas is 6 years after enucleation of the eye, It may be important for clini cians to consider this diagnosis when confronted with a retinal mass o f unknown etiology in adults.