Background Early detection and timely referral are keys to improve survival in patients with retinoblastoma (Rb). In México, one of the main obstacles for an early diagnosis is the lack of knowledge of the disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate Rb comprehension in students in their last year of medical school. Procedure A questionnaire was completed by 791 students from 12 universities. Descriptive statistics from the population were obtained and every answer to each question was analyzed. Results Only 3.3% of the students got a proficiency grade. Less than 50% diagnosed Rb when an image was shown. Conclusions The students evaluated do not have the knowledge to detect the disease. It is necessary to develop continuous educational programs for first contact physicians. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2011; 57: 1109–1112. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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20019 Background: The knowledge regarding treatment and prognosis of pediatric germ cell tumors has been taken from the development of these in the adult population. The object of this work was to compare the International Classification (IGCCCG) used in adults versus the POG classification used traditionally in a pediatric population. Methods: We reviewed clinical records from March 1994 through June 2003 with the diagnosis of malignant germ cell tumor of testis, retroperitoneal and mediastinum. All patients completed the treatment proposed initially with a follow up of more than 24 months. They were staged with the POG classification at diagnosis and with the International Classification for this study. Results: We obtained 61 patients with a 4 year follow up. They were all male, with germ cell tumor of testis or mediastinum. There were no retroperitoneal primary tumors. The age range was from 4 months to 188 months with an average of 48.7 months. Prognosis and treatment with the POG and the IGCCCG classifications had concordance of 0.0004 and 0.0371 respectively. Conclusions: We found limitations such as diverse chemotherapy protocols used in patients within the same risk group. Biological tumor Markers sampling play an important role in the the initial approach to allocate staging and risk based treatment protocols. It is necessary to carry out new studies with a homogeneous based population with similar diagnosis, treatment protocols and staging system to corroborate the utility and implementation of the International Classification in order to ameliorate morbidity and mortality of our pediatric patients. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.