title: Incidence and survival of retinoblastoma in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study 1998-2011.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the epidemiology of retinoblastoma in Taiwan from 1998 to 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective population-based cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The present study included 154 patients (92 males, 62 females) with retinoblastoma and the documented overall retinoblastoma incidence was 1 in 17 373 live births without a notable trend over the study period. The incidence per million live births examined by gender was 65.8 for males and 48.5 for females. The age-specific sex ratio increased from 1.4 at age younger than 1 year to 3.0 above age 4 years. Enucleation was performed in 109 (70.8%) children with retinoblastoma, and it was more prevalent in males than in females (77.2% vs 61.3%, p=0.0335). Multivariate Cox regression analyses with adjustment for diagnostic age, sex, and birth year elucidated that enucleation was a significant factor associated with survival (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.61).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of retinoblastoma in Taiwan exhibited no marked trend over time. There were more cases of males than females and the male-to-female rate ratio increased with age. Survival outcome was significantly associated with the intervention of enucleation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi City, Taiwan Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Su-Yin
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Research, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi City, Taiwan Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Medical College, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Solomon Chih-Cheng
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0031-6147
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Research, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Research, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shew-Meei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sheu
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi City, Taiwan Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Taiwan Meiho University, Pingtung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jun-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chong-Bin
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D019572:Retinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012175:Retinoblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Child health (paediatrics); Epidemiology; Neoplasia