Neuroblastoma is a solid cancerous tumor that begins in the nerve cells outside the brain of infants and young children. Though it can start in the nervous tissue in other parts of the body, It mostly begins in the adrenal gland. Neuroblastoma develops most often in infants and children younger than 5. It can form before the baby is born and can sometimes be found during a prenatal (before birth) ultrasound. Epidemiological features: The 5-year survival rate for neuroblastoma is 80%.
However, a child’s survival rate depends on many factors, particularly the risk grouping of the tumor. It seems that infant or younger children are able to cure more than an older one. This can be explained with recent research which has found that neuroblastoma cells in older children are more likely to have changes in the ATRX tumor suppressor gene. Tumors with this gene change tend to grow more slowly,…
