What is Neuroblastoma?

Neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood cancer that affects children. It develops from nerve cells called neuroblasts.

The cancer usually starts in the child's abdomen (tummy). It often develops in the adrenal glands, the two small glands above the kidneys and can spread to other areas such as the bones, liver and skin and the cause is unknown.
There are rare cases where children in the same family are affected, but it does not generally run in families.

Who is affected?

Neuroblastoma affects around 100 children each year in the UK. It usually affects children under the age of five and can occur before a child is born. It is the most common solid tumour in childhood after brain tumours.
This terrible disease not only effects children as the effects of Neuroblastoma are felt throughout the families of those affected. Here you can see the experience that some parents have gone through.

symptoms

The symptoms depend on where the cancer is and whether it has spread. It is often hard to diagnose neuroblastoma in the early stages, as initial symptoms are common ones - for example, aches and pains and loss of appetite. The most common symptom when the cancer has developed is a lump or swelling in the child’s abdomen as this is where the cancer usually starts. It can cause constipation and general discomfort and pain.

Other possible symptoms are:

a lump in the child’s neck, which can make them breathless or cause difficulty swallowing
a bone pain and difficulty walking if the cancer has affected their bones
numbness, weakness or loss of movement in the child’s lower body, if the cancer has affected the spinal cord
anaemia, bruising, bleeding and infections, if the cancer has infected their bone marrow
blueish lumps in their skin if the cancer has spread to the skin

stages

As with most cancers, the tumour is defined by "stages" which reflect the spread of the disease. There are a number of staging systems, but the most widely used until recently - INSS - is shown first, with the most recent (INRG) in brackets:

STAGE 1 & 2 (L1)

The cancer is in one site and has not spread. It may be possible to remove it completely by operation

STAGE 3 (L2)

The cancer has spread to local structures, but not too distant parts of the body

STAGE 4

The cancer has spread to distant parts of the body

STAGE 4s

This special stage defines a tumour diagnosed in a baby under the age of twelve months. Although it may have spread to the liver or skin, the outlook is fairly good