ABSTRACT
Retinoblastoma (RB) is a rare embryonic tumour that represents 1/16,000 births in France. In Mali, a study showed the characteristics of a hospital series of cases seen in Bamako in the Pediatric Oncology Unit of Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital and in the Tropical Ophthalmology Institute of Africa (IOTA) between January 2005 and June 2007. Median age was 4 years versus 2 years in France for unilateral disease. Near two third of children with RB had extra-ocular extension at diagnosis, which is now exceptional in France. Only 11% were bilateral versus 35% in France. Cure rate was around 50%, but it is estimated only on the cases arriving in Bamako and with at least 20% lost of follow-up. Cure rate is over 95% in France within an exhaustive register. RB appears as an exemplary tumor and rapid improvements could be obtained in low-income countries with relatively limited means. This is why, the Alliance mondiale contre le cancer (AMCC), the Institut Curie in Paris, which is the reference center in France for RB, and teams in Bamako were proposing a program to help the development of early diagnosis, treatments, including eye preservation, and rehabilitation of children with RB in sub-Saharan Africa in collaboration with the Groupe franco-africain d'oncologie pédiatrique (GFAOP). The official launching of this program was held in Bamako November 4, 2011 for Mali and the surrounding regions. After this first experience, this program is now implemented in other countries.
