Neuroblastoma is a nerve tissue cancer that mostly affects children. Around half the cases of neuroblastoma arise in children under two years of age. The American Cancer Society reports that in the United States, approximately 650 new cases of neuroblastoma appear every year, which makes it the most common type of cancer in babies. Neuroblastoma usually begins during infancy or sometimes even before birth. It generally starts in the adrenal glands (located above the kidneys), but it can spread to nerve tissues in the abdomen, neck and spinal column.
Stages
The International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS) defines the different stages of neuroblastoma. In stage 1, the cancer remains in the part of the body where it started and is removable by surgery. Stage 2 is similar to stage 1, but the cancer is not completely removable by surgery. Both stage 1 and stage 2 neuroblastoma are restricted to one side of the body. In stage 3 neuroblastoma, the cancer may spread to the other side of the body, or if it is located in the middle it may spread to both sides. In stage 4, the cancer spreads to areas and organs further away from the area where the cancer originated. "Special" neuroblastoma (stage 4S) is stage 4 neuroblastoma that occurs in children younger than 12 months.
Causes
Nueroblasts are the cells present in a fetus that later develop into nerve cells and nerve tissues of the adrenal gland. When the nueroblasts fail to develop into mature cells, they turn into a neuroblastoma tumor. The exact causes of neuroblastoma are not entirely recognized. Researchers believe that genetic mutations might be responsible for some occurrences of neuroblastoma.
Symptoms
Different parts of the body affected by neuroblastoma exhibit different symptoms. Abdominal neuroblastoma is characterized by pain and tenderness in the abdomen, bowel problems (i.e., constipation), swollen legs and frequent urination. If the chest is affected by neuroblastoma, the signs and symptoms include breathing problems, inflammation of the face, drooping eyelids and pupil dilation. Other symptoms and signs include bumps under the skin, protrusion of eyeballs, dark circles around eyes, curving of spine, back pain, fever and weight loss.
Treatment
In most cases, neuroblastoma is not diagnosed until it has reached a stage where it cannot be completely removed surgically. Even if it is diagnosed early, it may be too near a vital organ, making surgery risky. In serious cases, there is no choice but to perform surgery and treat the remaining cancer cells by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Another method of treatment----stem cell transplant----involves collecting healthy stem cells from the patient and injecting them back into the patient after chemotherapy.
Prognosis
Children younger than 18 months have a better chance of being cured than older children. Patients of neuroblastoma are divided into different risk categories according to the stage of the cancer and their medical history. The survival rates (5-year) for low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk patients are 90 percent to 95 percent, 85 percent to 90 percent, and 30 percent, respectively.
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