‘Cat’s eye’ cancer in children targeted using genetic test

A GENETIC test that can spot a rare form of eye cancer, which creates a reflection like a “cat’s eye”, is being rolled out across the NHS for babies in the womb.

The test picks up unborn children with retinoblastoma. One of the signs of the condition is an unusual white reflection in the pupil of the eye, which is said to look like a cat’s eye that is reflecting light. The test, developed at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, can detect genetic changes that cause retinoblastoma.

For the test, a blood sample is taken from the mother before birth and tested and analysed for mutations.