Neuroblastoma is a solid cancerous tumor that often originates in the nerve cells outside the brain of infants and children younger than 5. It can form in a fetus before birth and can sometimes be found during a prenatal ultrasound. More rarely, neuroblastoma can also develop in older children, adolescents, and young adults.
The most common place neuroblastoma originates is the adrenal glands, which are located on top of both kidneys. These glands make hormones that help control bodily functions, such as heart rate and blood pressure. Neuroblastoma can also originate in the nerve tissue near the spine in the neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis.
Neuroblasts are immature nerve cells found in an embryo or fetus. Typically, neuroblasts mature into nerve cells or adrenal medulla cells, which are cells found in the center of the adrenal gland. Neuroblastoma forms when neuroblasts don’t mature properly.
Neuroblastoma is usually found after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes (small, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection), liver, lungs, bones, and bone marrow (spongy, red tissue in the inner part of large bones).
About Neuroblastoma
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Neuroblastoma is the most common form of cancer in infants.
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The median age at diagnosis is 18 months.
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The disease manifests as a solid tumor most commonly in the adrenal glands above the kidney and in nerve tissues in the chest, neck, abdomen or pelvis.
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It is the second most common solid tumor cancer in children after brain tumors.
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Neuroblastoma has a high rate of relapse and the survival rate for high-risk children is less than 50 percent.
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Most of its victims are diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease.
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It is called “the great masquerader” because its pre-diagnosis symptoms can mimic common childhood illnesses.
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Neuroblastoma accounts for 8 percent of all childhood cancers and 15 percent of all childhood cancer deaths.
More Information: Neuroblastoma - Childhood | Cancer.Net
Facts About Neuroblastoma
