Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin Develops Partnership with Hospital Infantile Teleton Oncologia in Mexico for an International Retinoblastoma Program
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and Children’s Wisconsin has partnered with Hospital Infantile Teleton de Oncologia, (HITO) to create an international retinoblastoma (RB) program. HITO is the first dedicated Pediatric Cancer Center in Mexico, serving patients from birth to 18 years old. HITO hopes to host the first RB multidisciplinary clinic in Mexico with access to the latest treatments to save the eyes of RB pediatric patients. The collaboration and partnership with MCW and Children’s Wisconsin will enable HITO to move the needle on current mortality cases of RB in the country. Children’s Wisconsin offers a retinoblastoma team that includes an ocular oncologist (ophthalmologist), pediatric oncologist, geneticist, pathologist, radiation oncologist, interventional radiologist and other ancillary staff.
Retinoblastoma is the most common type of pediatric cancer in children younger than five years old. In Mexico, cancer is the leading cause of death in children aged 5–9 years. A multi-centered report from Mexico showed that enucleation is performed in 84.9% of patients and the disease-free survival was 89%. RB patient outcome changes significantly in low- and middle-income countries where pediatric patients face high mortality rates in addition to blindness due to bilateral enucleation after tumor progression.
“We have developed a partnership program with three areas of focus – clinical care, education and research. I visited Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología from April 18-21, 2024,” says Aparna Ramasubramanian, MD, MCW faculty member and director of the retinoblastoma program at Children’s Wisconsin. “I toured the facility with the team at HITO and demonstrated various examination techniques and laser treatments. During the visit, intra-arterial chemotherapy was successfully performed. This was the first intra-arterial chemotherapy performed at HITO and only the second center in Mexico to perform the procedure.
"It is considered standard of care to determine the genetic mutation in all patients with RB. Retinoblastoma gene testing is not easily available for patients in Mexico and this partnership would facilitate the development of accessible, cost-effective genetic testing. Dr. Ramasubramanian received a Global Health Research Seed Project Funding from MCW for the development of retinoblastoma genetic testing in low- and middle-income countries.