Retinoblastoma

Blastomas include types of cancers that originate from abnormalities in precursor cells, called blasts. These cancers are more common in children, perhaps because more cells are growing and dividing in different regions of the body than those of an adult’s. Many blastomas are related to mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene, which is involved in the cell cycle. Retinoblastoma is a specific type of cancer included in this category. It is almost exclusively found in young children and develops in the retina. Many treatments involve eye surgery or eye removal, however, this cancer is survivable. A decent amount of information is known about this disease: there is a heritable form and a non-heritable form. Bilateral cases tend to be heritable, while unilateral cases tend to be non-heritable. A common mutation that can lead to the heritable form of retinoblastoma is that of the Rb1 protein on chromosome 13 and can be explained by the two-hit model, where an affected individual must have the deleterious mutation on both alleles inherited from the parents.