Description

Neuroblastoma is a cancer that starts in cells called neuroblasts. The neuroblasts are immature nerve cells. It is found in several areas of the body.

Neuroblastoma most often starts in the neuroblasts in the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are located on the top of each kidney. The glands that produce the hormones that control important functions in the body. Other parts of the body that have neuroblasts, and can be obtained with neuroblastoma include the spine, the abdomen, the chest and the neck.

Neuroblastoma usually affects children age 5 or younger. The symptoms vary, depending on the place where it occurs in the body.

Some forms of neuroblastoma may go away on their own. Other forms of neuroblastoma in need of treatment. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and bone marrow transplantation. Your healthcare team to select the neuroblastoma treatments that are best for your child.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of neuroblastoma vary depending on what part of the body is affected. This type of cancer starts in the nerve cells called neuroblasts. The neuroblasts are located in several areas of the body.

Neuroblastoma in the abdomen can cause symptoms such as:

  • Belly pain.
  • A lump beneath the skin that typically is not the touch-sensitivity.
  • Diarrhea or constipation.

Neuroblastoma in the chest can cause symptoms such as:

  • Wheezing.
  • Difficulty breathing.
  • Changes in the eyes, including drooping of the eyelids and the pupils are different sizes.

Other symptoms that may indicate the neuroblastoma include:

  • Lumps of tissue under the skin.
  • Eyes that appear to protrude from between shots.
  • Dark circles around the eyes, which seem to blows.
  • Back pain.
  • Fever.
  • Losing weight without trying.
  • Pain in the bones.

When to see a doctor

Please contact your child's healthcare provider if your child has any of the symptoms that worry you. Mention any changes in your child's behavior, habits, or appearance.

Causes

It is not clear what causes neuroblastoma. This type of cancer starts in the nerve cells called neuroblasts. The neuroblasts are located in several areas of the body.

Neuroblastoma is started when the neuroblasts develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell the cell what to do. In healthy cells, the DNA contains the instructions to grow and multiply at a set rate. The instructions that tell cells to die at a set time. In cancer cells, changes in DNA to give different instructions. The changes tell cancer cells to grow and multiply quickly. Cancer cells can continue living when healthy cells would die. This makes too many cells.

The cancer cells may form a mass called a tumor. The tumor can grow to invade and destroy healthy body tissue. At the time, cancer cells can break off and spread to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads, it is called metastatic cancer.

Risk factors

The risk of neuroblastoma is greater in children. This type of cancer occurs primarily in children 5 years of age and younger.

Children with a family history of neuroblastoma may be more likely to develop the disease. However, health professionals think that only a small number of neuroblastomas are hereditary.

There is No known way to prevent the neuroblastoma.

Complications

Complications of neuroblastoma may include:

  • The spread of cancer. Over time, cancerous cells can spread to other parts of the body. Neuroblastoma often spreads to the lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver, skin, and bones. When cancer spreads, it is called metastatic cancer.
  • The pressure on the spinal cord. Neuroblastoma may grow and press on the spinal cord, causing compression of the spinal cord. Compression of the spinal cord can cause pain and paralysis.
  • The symptoms caused by the cancer of secretions. Neuroblastoma cells can secrete chemicals that irritate other tissues. The irritation of the tissues can cause symptoms so-called paraneoplastic syndromes. The symptoms of paraneoplastic syndromes may include rapid eye movements and difficulty with coordination. Other symptoms include abdominal bloating and diarrhea.

Diagnosis

A diagnosis of neuroblastoma may begin with a physical examination. Other procedures and tests include imaging tests, and the removal of some tissue for analysis. Your child's health care team can use a variety of tests and procedures to diagnose this type of cancer.

Physical examination

A health care provider can examine your child to verify if there are signs of neuroblastoma. The health care provider may ask you questions about your child's symptoms and health history.

Analysis of urine and blood

A health professional can make the test your child's blood and urine. The results can help health professionals to better understand the illness of her son. The analysis of urine can look to the high levels of chemicals made by cells of neuroblastoma. For example, neuroblastoma can produce chemicals called catecholamines. These can be detected by a urine test.

Imaging tests

Imaging tests create pictures of the body. They can help your child's healthcare team to find the location of neuroblastoma and look for signs that it has spread.

Imaging tests for neuroblastoma may include:

  • X-ray.
  • Ultrasound.
  • Computerized axial tomography scan, also called a CT or cat scan.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging, also called magnetic resonance imaging.
  • Metaiodobenzylguanidine scan, also called MIBG scan.

Not everyone will need every test. The health care team will decide which tests are necessary based on the condition of your child.

Biopsy

A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for testing in a lab. To obtain the sample, a health professional can make a hollow needle through the skin and the cancer. The health care provider uses a needle to remove some cells for testing. Sometimes a surgeon removes a sample of tissue during surgery.

In the laboratory, the tests can check the tissue for signs of cancer. Other tests can detect changes in the DNA inside the cancer cells. The results of these tests can help your child's health care team to make a plan of treatment.

Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy

Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy are procedures that involve the collection of cells of the bone marrow. The cells are sent for analysis. These procedures are used to check if the neuroblastoma has spread to the bone marrow.

The bone marrow is the soft matter in the interior of the bone where blood cells are made. The bone marrow has a solid part and a liquid part. In a bone marrow aspiration, a needle is used to remove a sample of fluid. In a bone marrow biopsy, a needle is used to collect a small amount of solid tissue. The samples are usually taken from the hip bone.

Neuroblastoma stages

The health care team uses the results of these tests to give the neuroblastoma stage. The scenario tells the health professionals on the prognosis and help the team to create a treatment plan.

The stages of neuroblastoma are:

  • L1. This stage means that the neuroblastoma is growing in an area. The caner does not imply any of the structures that would be difficult to completely remove the cancer with surgery.
  • L2. This stage means that the neuroblastoma is growing in an area. However, the cancer consists of structures that could make it difficult to remove all of the cancer with surgery.
  • M. This stage means that the neuroblastoma has spread to other parts of the body.
  • The LADY This stage applies to children under the age of 18 months. This means that the neuroblastoma has spread in the skin, the liver or the bone marrow.

Treatment

Treatments for neuroblastoma include surgery, radiation therapy and medications, such as chemotherapy, and others. Health care team to consider many things when creating a treatment plan. These include the child's age, the stage of the cancer, the type of cells involved in cancer and the changes in the DNA inside the cancer cells.

The health care team uses this information to tell if the neuroblastoma is low-risk, intermediate-risk or high-risk. Neuroblastoma that is low-risk or intermediate-risk has a good chance of cure. High-risk neuroblastoma can be more difficult to cure, so the stronger the treatments may be necessary. What treatment or combination of treatments that your child receives for neuroblastoma depends on the risk category.

Surgery

During the surgery for neuroblastoma, the surgeons use cutting tools to remove the cancer cells. In children with low-risk neuroblastoma, the surgery to remove the cancer may be the only treatment needed.

If the cancer can be removed completely, dependent on its location and size. Cancers that are attached to near the vital organs may be too risky to remove.

In the intermediate-risk and high-risk neuroblastoma, the surgeons may try to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, can then be used to kill the remaining cancer cells.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy treats the cancer with strong medications. Many chemotherapy drugs exist. The majority of chemotherapy drugs are given through a vein. Some come in the form of a pill.

Children with intermediate-risk neuroblastoma often receive a combination of chemotherapy drugs before surgery. This improves the chances that all of the cancer can be removed.

Children with high-risk neuroblastoma often receive high doses of chemotherapy drugs to reduce the size of the cancer. Chemotherapy also helps to kill the cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy is often used before surgery and before a bone marrow transplant.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy treats cancer with powerful rays of energy. The energy can come from X-rays, protons or other sources.

Children with high-risk neuroblastoma may receive radiation therapy after chemotherapy and surgery. The radiation can help reduce the risk that the cancer will come back.

Bone marrow transplantation

A bone marrow transplant, also called a bone marrow stem cell transplantation, involves placing healthy bone marrow stem cells in the body. These cells replace the cells from damage by chemotherapy and other treatments.

A bone marrow transplant may be an option for children with high-risk neuroblastoma. A bone marrow transplantation for neuroblastoma using one's own blood stem cells. This type of transplant is called an autologous transplant of stem cells.

Before the transplant, a procedure that is performed to filter and collect the blood of the stem cells from the blood of the child. The stem cells are stored for later use. Then, the child receives high doses of chemotherapy to kill the remaining cancer cells. Then, the blood stem cells are put back into the body of the child. The transplanted cells can form new, healthy blood cells.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment with a medication that helps the body's immune system destroys the cancer cells. The immune system fights diseases by attacking the germs and other cells that should not be in the body. Cancer cells survive by hiding from the immune system. Immunotherapy helps the cells of the immune system find and kill cancer cells.

Immunotherapy is sometimes used with chemotherapy for high-risk neuroblastoma.

Coping and support

When your child is diagnosed with cancer, it is common to feel a range of emotions. Some parents say that I had feelings such as shock, disbelief, guilt, and anger. In the time that you could be feeling these strong feelings, you may also need to make decisions about the treatment of his son. This can be overwhelming. Here are some ideas to help you cope.

Gather all the information you need

To find out enough about the neuroblastoma feel comfortable making decisions about the care of your child. Talk with your child's healthcare team. Keep a list of questions to ask at the next appointment. Ask your child's health care team to recommend good sources of information. In the united States, the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society are good organizations to go to for more information.

Organize a network of support

Friends and family can provide both emotional and practical support as your child goes through treatment. Your friends and family will probably ask what you can do to help. Take your deals. Loved ones may go with his son to the care of the health of the visits, or to sit in the room of his child in the hospital when you can't be there. When you are with your child, their friends and family can help out by spending time with their other children or help around your home.

Take advantage of resources for children with cancer

Find special resources for families of children with cancer. Ask your clinic's social worker about what is available. Support groups for parents and siblings to put you in touch with people who understand what you're feeling. Your family may be eligible for summer camps, temporary housing and other forms of support.

To maintain their usual routines as much as possible

Young children may not understand what is happening to them as they undergo treatment for cancer. To help your child deal with the situation, try to maintain your usual routines as much as possible. Try to arrange the appointments, so that your child can have a set nap time each day. They have the routine of meal time. Allow time for the game when the child feels to the height. If your child has to spend time in the hospital, bring things out of the house for your child to feel more comfortable.

Ask your health care team about other ways to comfort your child through treatment. Some hospitals have recreation therapists, or of the lives of child workers that can give you more specific ways to help your child cope.

Preparing for your appointment

Make an appointment with your family health care provider if your child has any of the symptoms that worry you.

Because appointments can be brief, it is a good idea to be prepared. Here's some information to help you prepare, and what to expect.

What you can do

  • Be aware of any preappointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there is anything that you need to do in advance, such as changing the diet of your child.
  • Make a note of the symptoms your child is experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
  • Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
  • Make a list of all medications, vitamins or supplements your child is taking and the dose.
  • Consider the possibility of a family member or friend. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who comes with you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
  • Write questions to ask your child's healthcare team.

Your time with your child's health care team may be limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of their time together. A list of questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For neuroblastoma, some basic questions to ask include:

  • What may be causing my child's symptoms or condition?
  • What kind of evidence does my child need?
  • What is the best course of action?
  • What are the alternatives to the solution that you are suggesting?
  • My son has these other health conditions. How can they best be managed together?
  • Are there any restrictions that my child needs to follow?
  • Should my child see a specialist?
  • Where can I find more information?

In addition to the questions you have prepared, do not hesitate to ask questions during your appointment.

What to expect from your child's doctor

Your child's health team is likely to ask you questions, such as:

  • When did your child begin to experience the symptoms?
  • How to have your child's symptoms changed over time?
  • What, if anything, seems to improve the symptoms of your child?
  • What, if anything, appears to worsen the symptoms of your child?
Symptoms and treatment of Neuroblastoma