Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a solid cancerous tumor that begins in nerve tissue in the neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis, but usually originates in the abdomen in the tissues of the adrenal gland. By the time it is diagnosed, the cancer usually has spread (metastasized), most commonly to the lymph nodes, liver, lungs, bones, and bone marrow. Neuroblastoma is predominantly a tumor of early childhood; two thirds of children with neuroblastoma are diagnosed when they are younger than 5 years of age. It is often present at birth but usually is not detected until later; in rare cases, neuroblastoma can be detected before birth by fetal ultrasound.

The most common symptoms of neuroblastoma are the result of pressure by the tumor or bone pain from cancer that has spread to the bone. Protruding eyes and dark circles around the eyes are common and are caused by cancer that has spread to the area behind the eye. Neuroblastomas may compress the spinal cord, causing paralysis. Fever, anemia, and high blood pressure are found occasionally. Rarely, children may have severe watery diarrhoea, uncoordinated or jerky muscle movements, or uncontrollable eye movement.

If your child has symptoms that may be caused by neuroblastoma, his or her doctor will conduct a careful examination and order laboratory tests and special x-rays. A computed tomographic (CT) scan, a diagnostic test that uses computers and x-rays to create pictures of the body, may be performed. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, a diagnostic test similar to a CT scan, but which uses magnetic waves instead of x-rays, may also be performed.

For further test information look at the tests for neuroblastoma page.

Often, removal of tissue from the tumor and/or bone marrow is required to determine whether neuroblastoma exists. A small sample of the tissue may be surgically removed and examined under a microscope. This is called a biopsy. Sometimes a biopsy is done by making a small hole and using a needle to extract a sample of the tissue.

Your child’s chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment depend on the stage of your child’s cancer (how far the cancer has spread), your child’s age at diagnosis, the location of the tumor, and evaluation of the tumor cells under a microscope.

Further information about treatment is on the treatment page.

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