Utility of bone marrow examination in retinoblastoma and their correlation with hematological features

Retinoblastoma makes up about 3% of all childhood malignancies. The frequency of metastatic retinoblastoma ranges from 4.8 to 11%. Assessing the bone marrow status of newly diagnosed patients is crucial because of the advantages of autologous bone marrow transplants for high-risk patients. This study aimed to determine the utility of bone marrow examination in cases of retinoblastoma and its correlation with hematological findings. This retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Pathology, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, India. A total of 34 cases of retinoblastoma with bone marrow examination were included in the study. Bone marrow infiltration was present in 17.65% (6/34) cases of retinoblastoma. Bone marrow aspirate myelogram showed that marrow metastasis in retinoblastoma was significantly linked with a reduced percentage of total myeloid cells (p=0.001) and segmented cells (p=0.006). The present study demonstrated that 15% (3/20) of retinoblastoma patients previously classified as nonmetastatic before bone marrow examination (stages I to III based on histology, imaging, and bone scan) had bone marrow metastases following bone marrow examination and were upgraded to stage IV. To conclude, a diligent and exhaustive search for metastatic cells in bone marrow is advised if the myelogram shows a reduced percentage of total myeloid and segmented cells. All stage II and stage III cases of retinoblastoma must undergo bone marrow examination for early metastasis detection, as it may result in an upgrade to stage IV disease, impacting the prognosis and necessitating distinct treatment modalities.