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retinoblastoma

retinoblastoma

1 9.9
A cancer in the back of the eye that usually starts in young children
  • noun
  • /ˌrɛtɪnoʊˈblæstoʊmə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : retinoblastoma
  • I have retinoblastoma.
  • retinoblastoma gene

Examples

  • Serious causes of visual defects in babies include retinoblastoma, cataract, and glaucoma.

    Academic text (2014)
  • These cancers of the retina are caused by mutations in the retinoblastoma gene.

  • He needed to play in a place where his daughter could get treatment for her retinoblastoma, the only two being New York and LA.

    Blog text (11)
  • (I have six altogether out of ten nieces and nephews) and not only is he super special because I was the midwife at his birth, but he is super special because even though he is fighting cancer of the eyes - bilateral retinoblastoma, he is doing it with a huge smile.

    Blog text (20)
  • EZH2 was shown to be downstream of the retinoblastoma-E2F pathway and to activate proliferative genes and E2F-regulated proliferation 26.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancer of the eye, when I was two years old.

  • In an eye with retinoblastoma, the pupil often looks white or pink.

  • Serious causes of visual defects in babies include retinoblastoma, cataract, and glaucoma.

Synonyms

retinopathy
vsretinoblastoma
  • Specialized
2 8.1

A disease of the back part of the eye that can cause loss of sight

is a specific malignant tumor of the retina usually in young children

How Serious

retinoblastoma
  • Specialized
1 9.9
retinitis pigmentosa
  • Specialized
1 7.6
retinal detachment
  • Specialized
1 6.9
retinitis
  • Specialized
3 7.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

retinoblastoma = retina + blast (semi-transparent) = retina + blast + oma

The components 'retina' and 'blast' give a clear clue to a primitive retinal cell, but the medical suffix '-oma' (meaning tumor) may be unfamiliar to general learners.

Etymology

Retinoblastoma comes from retina ('the back part of the eye that senses light') and blastoma ('a tumor of very young or not-yet-grown cells', from a root meaning 'sprout'). So, retinoblastoma is a tumor made of immature cells in the retina, which is why it most often appears in young children.