Clinical Analysis of Neuroblastoma

Kim, Tae Jin; Choi, Seung Hoon; Hwang, Eui Ho

Abstract

Neuroblastoma derived from neural crest cells of the sympathetic nervous system, is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children with many interesting features. It has the highest rate of spontaneous regression, yet has one of the poorest outcome results. Recent updates have shown much increased outcomes in multitreatment approaches and early diagnosis with screening. Authors have studied 42 patients who have been diagnosed and treated in the last decade in the Severance and Yongdong Severance Hospital respectively. They were followed up till January 1998 and was analyzed in terms of age, sexual difference, admission period, staging, diagnostic studies, clinical symptoms and physical examinations, operative time, treatment modalities, survival rate. Twenty eight patients underwent operative procedures, 16 patients had postoperative chemotherapy, and 19 patients had preoperative chemotherapy. Sexual difference was 1.33:1 in favor of males, and 43% of patients were under the age of one year. The patients were initially diagnosed symptomatically, and the abdominal mass was the most common clinical symptom. Eighty six percent of the patients were of advanced stages (>Stage III of INSS), and the 2 year survival rate showed 59.2% and the 5 year survival rate was 29.6%.