Dr Phạm Minh Châu, deputy head of the Paediatric Ophthalmology Department at the Central Eye Hospital, gives medical advice to a patient undergoing eye cancer treatment. VNA/VNS Photo

Eye cancer in children is surprisingly common, sixth among the top ten cancers affecting youngsters. However, the majority of patients wait too late to seek medical treatment, leading to the necessity of removing the eyeball to preserve life in 70 per cent of cases.

This situation creates a psychological barrier to social communication among children affected by this disease, Associate Professor Nguyễn Tuấn Hưng, director in charge of the Central Eye Hospital, said.

At the introduction of the paediatric ophthalmology unit under the Central Eye Hospital on November 20, Hưng said that eye cancer is a specialised field in ophthalmology related to the diagnosis and treatment of all tumours on the surface of the eyeball, intraocular tumours, or tumours around the eyeball.

These tumours can be benign or malignant, and if not treated and monitored, they can cause visual impairment, or even require the removal of the eyeball. Malignant eye tumours can either originate in the eye or metastasise to the eye from another organ in the body.

Statistics over the six-year period from 2018 to 2022 show that each year, there are more than 1000 patients with eye cancer and other eye tumours seeking treatment at the Central Eye Hospital.

The hospital is currently monitoring patients who have undergone treatment to detect and treat new tumours and recurrent tumours early. Currently, the hospital has 300 eye cancer patients.

During the examinations, doctors at the hospital have provided genetic counselling and monitored families with a history of eye cancer.

Currently, there is no national centre specifically dedicated to eye tumours. Most doctors working in the field of eye cancer are ophthalmologists, and patients are mostly treated at major eye hospitals nationwide.

Accurate statistical data on the number of patients with eye tumours nationwide is not available.

Hưng believed that the establishment of the Eye Cancer Unit and Uveal Melanoma Unit is truly necessary to enhance and develop treatment methods for the eyeball preservation and achieve the best visual.

According to Dr Phạm Minh Châu, deputy head of the Pediatric Ophthalmology Department at the Central Eye Hospital, eye cancer originates from tumours inside the eyeball, typically affecting children under the age of six.

In the early stages, the disease may not show specific symptoms, but when signs of eye misalignment such as the black pupil not in the centre or white spots on the black pupil appear, the risk of tumour development is significant.

Only about 30 per cent of children are discovered early enough to preserve their eyesight.

According to Châu, eye cancer has a genetic factor. Some patients with eye cancer, even as young as one month old, have been discovered with tumours and successfully treated.

Statistics from the Central Eye Hospital show that the current survival rate for people with eye cancer is 93 per cent. However, most patients seek medical treatment at later stages, requiring removal of the eyeball to preserve their lives.

Additionally, for cases where preservation treatment of the eyeball is considered, the large size of tumours and the lack of standardised equipment result in prolonged treatment times, leading to up to 70 per cent of patients having impaired vision even after successful treatment. — VNS