[Fatal outcome of retinoblastoma. Retrospective study of 22 patients].

18 patients of 22 lethal cases of retinoblastoma died of recurrence or metastases of the primary tumor, which were mostly located in the head. Two clinical groups can be distinguished. In the patients with recurrence from the side of the enucleated eye, the mean survival time was 26 months, whereas the four children with a relaps originating in the conservatively treated eye survived 23 to 65 months. Two other children died of secondary tumors, and two of unrelated disease.