Identical three-month-old triplets are ALL battling extremely rare form of eye cancer

  • Canadian identical triplets all have a very rare form of eye cancer
  • Thomas, Mason and Luke Low are only three months old but have undergone treatment for retinoblastoma
  • Thomas has had one eye removed and Mason may require the same treatment
  • They will require follow-up checks and further treatment every two weeks until their retinas stop growing, at around age two
  • Only about 20 cases of retinoblastoma are diagnosed in Canada each year
  • Naturally conceived identical triplets are about one in a million

By Alex Greig

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Identical triplets born to a Canadian couple three months ago have been diagnosed with the same, extremely rare form of eye cancer.

Thomas, Mason and Luke Low are all suffering from retinoblastoma, a cancer so rare there are only about 20 cases diagnosed in Canada every year.

Their parents, Richard and Leslie Low, noticed that one of the babies had an odd-shaped pupil, and following testing, were told that each of their tiny sons had retinoblastoma.

Tiny things: The babies were born six weeks premature but appeared in perfect health

Tiny things: The babies were born six weeks premature but appeared in perfect health

The Lows had moved Edmonton for Richard Low's medical residency with their two-year-old son Benson when they were given the news that Leslie was carrying not one but three babies.

The chance of conceiving identical triplets naturally is about one in a million, and Richard and Leslie Low were surprised but excited about the prospect of being parents to triplets.

 

A few months after the triplets were born, Richard noticed a strange change in Mason's eye.

'I noticed Mason had an odd pupil like a tear drop, I thought it was a little odd,' he told the Global News.

'I thought about it and talked to my friend who is an eye doctor, and he told me to take a picture with the flash and look for red reflex, and there was no red reflex, it was white.'

Retinoblastoma: A photograph of the pupil of a child with the condition will show a white reflection, indicating the presence of a tumor behind the eye

Retinoblastoma: A photograph of the pupil of a child with the condition will show a white reflection, indicating the presence of a tumor behind the eye

Top medical care: The Lows meet with their eye specialist Dr Brenda Gallie (left)

Top medical care: The Lows meet with their eye specialist Dr Brenda Gallie (left)

The Lows took Mason to a specialist who diagnosed retinoblastoma, a rare cancer that's most common in young children.

The doctor then examined Luke and Thomas and gave the Lows the devastating news that they, too, had the condition.

It turns out that the shape of Mason's pupil had nothing to do with the retinoblastoma, but were it not for Richard Low's curiosity, the cancer may have advanced to a much more dangerous stage before the boys were diagnosed.

'We obviously are devastated,' one of the Lows wrote on the family blog. 'My heart nearly shattered to pieces when I heard the news, but I am trying to put myself back together. There's no time to be brokenhearted when you have four beautiful boys to care for.'

The family realizes their uniquely unlucky situation.

Keeping the faith: Leslie Low
Keeping the faith: Richard Low

Keeping the faith: Leslie and Richard Low say their faith, family and friends are getting them through this time

Baby joy: Despite their condition, the triplets are feeding and sleeping normally, say their parents

Baby joy: Despite their condition, the triplets are feeding and sleeping normally, say their parents

On their blog they wrote: 'Chances of marrying while at BYU [Brigham Young University], 1/3. Chances of having a boy, 1/2. Chances of having four boys in a row, 1/16. Chances of spontaneous identical triplets (no in vitro), 1/1,000,000. Chances of triplets having retinoblastoma, unheard of [sic]."

The condition is the result of a gene mutation that occurred before the egg split into three, resulting in all three boys having retinoblastoma.

The family flew to Toronto for treatment, where they were given individual diagnoses for each baby.

The Lows were told that Luke had 10 tumors scattered in both eyes, but located in the peripheral areas, not causing any central visual impairment. The tumors were treated with a laser.

Mason had one main tumor in his left eye, along with smaller cancer cells that could develop into a tumor.

He has been treated with localized chemotherapy and laser treatment to diminish the large tumor and prevent it growing any further.

Recovering: Tiny Thomas Low after surgery to remove his eye

Recovering: Tiny Thomas Low after surgery to remove his eye

Doctors are hoping to save his left eye with systemic chemotherapy, which will be performed when he is slightly older.

Thomas, who had the most serious case of the three, had a large central tumor that was too big to treat with laser or chemotherapy injection.

The Lows had to make a quick decision to either try systemic chemotherapy, a risky treatment for a baby who weighs barely nine pounds, or to remove Thomas's right eye.

Systemic chemo gave them only a 50 per cent chance of saving the eye, but could have resulted in hearing loss, kidney failure or brain cancer.

'All to save an eye that wouldn’t see,' Richard Lows said. 'We decided to just focus on his good eye.'

The Lows opted to have Thomas's right eye removed, which will help to strengthen his left into a 'super-eye.'

Since his surgery last Friday, Thomas has recovered well. He has been fitted with a temporary prosthetic eye that will be exchanged for a more permanent one when he's older.

'You know, we have prayed for a miracle, and a miracle did happen,' Leslie Low wrote on the family blog.

'All babies have at least one really good eye. Prayers truly are being answered.'

All three babies will need to be constantly monitored - every two weeks - for new tumors until the retina stops growing at around age two.

The comments below have not been moderated.

I'm glad to hear the boys seem to be doing well. I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma when I was three years old, and like Thomas, I had my eye removed. I'm now 17. Having one eye certainly complicates life here and there, but mostly just in funny ways. Sure, I'm at a disadvantage in sports. But I can drive. And most people can't even tell I have one eye--occasionally people think I have a lazy eye, but mostly people don't notice a thing. I'm going off to college at Yale in the fall, and I know I'll meet other cancer survivors who've had it way harder--all in all, I feel pretty lucky when it comes to this stuff. I'm sorry that you have to go through this, and that Thomas, Mason, and Luke have this as a way to start out their lives. It sucks. But I'm pretty darn sure they're gonna live great, healthy lives. Best of luck.

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Those boys are so gorgeous and I love their outfits. I hope everything will go well.

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This must be so devastating for this family. My husband and his sister both had retinoblastoma when they were babies over thirty years ago and my husband too lost an eye, I know my in laws were very upset by this and have always worried but my husband has coped fine with just 1 eye, he drives a car, and rides a motorbike went to Art College and is fantastic at art. Also the medical knowledge of this illness has developed so much over the years . Best wishes for you and your beautiful boys x

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Beautiful babies God bless them and I hope they make a full recovery.

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The word is "Canadian" not Candadion. God Bless these babies and their parents.

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OH NO it's not

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god bless guys. you are all just gorgeous. wishing you all the best of health for your future.. lets hope the medics can sort something out.

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Get well soon Gorgeous baby boys.

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My wife and I share your distress but also your joy in your new arrivals. We have a beautiful girl who was diagnosed with unilateral Rb and is now doing very well and is very much full of joy and life. I am now committed to carrying out research into eye prosthetics to try and help children with Rb and am willing to share any information with others affected around the World. Bournemouth University, UK - Dr Simon Thompson.

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We share your distress but also your joy in your new ones. We have a little girl with unilateral Rb and she is developing well and full of joy and happiness. All our thoughts are with you. I am also carrying out research now into prosthetics at Bournemouth University, UK. Please look me up as we are willing to share anything to help children with Rb around the World. Dr Simon Thompson.

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Get well soon little ones! Xxx

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