Patient Update / Ali

Patient Update / Neuroblastoma


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Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is the most common tumor in infants younger than 1 year of age and a common solid tumor of childhood. Most children are diagnosed by 2 years of age. Tumors originate from neural crest cells (called neuroblasts) in the sympathetic nervous system, which runs from the base of the neck to the tailbone. Tumors can appear anywhere along this chain but are most commonly found near the adrenal glands, located on top of the kidneys and in the chest.

Each year, one in 100,000 children in the United States develops neuroblastoma. It accounts for 7-10 percent of childhood cancers and 50 percent of all malignancies encountered in infants. Boys are slightly more likely to develop neuroblastoma than girls. For unknown reasons, infants have a much higher chance of cure than older children. Common symptoms include a hard, painless mass in the neck; an abdominal mass causing pain, irritability and decreased

appetite; bone pain from spread of the tumor to the skeleton or weakness or paralysis of the lower legs due to growth into the spinal canal.

If the tumor has not spread to other parts of the body, surgery usually is curative. If the tumor is causing spinal cord compression, immediate chemotherapy can avoid the use of surgery in the spinal canal. Unfortunately, in many cases by the time of diagnosis the disease has spread. Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment in these cases. The type of chemotherapy and its intensity are determined by the age of the patient and the extent of the disease (risk-factors). In addition, higher dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant are commonly used for high-risk patients. Radiation therapy in conjunction with chemotherapy is also effective.