This site is targeted at medical and radiology professionals, contains user contributed content, and material that may be confusing to a lay audience. Use of this site implies acceptance of our Terms of Use.

Neuroblastic tumours

Dr Maxime St-Amant and Dr Frank Gaillard et al.

Neuroblastic tumours arise from primitive cells of the sympathetic system and include the following entities:

These entities represent a spectrum of disease from undifferentiated and aggressive (neuroblastoma) to the well differentiated and largely quiescent (ganglioneuroma).

Epidemiology

The less differentiated the earlier the presentation. Thus, neuroblastomas typically occur in infants and very young children (mean age of presentation 22 months) whereas ganglioneuroblastomas and ganglioneuromas present in older children (mean age of presentation 1-10 years and 6-15 years respectively) ¹.

Location

As these tumours arise from the sympathetic nervous system it is not surprising that they arise from the neck, posterior mediastinum, adrenal gland, retroperitoneum, and pelvis ¹.

Prognosis

Prognosis matches degree of differentiation.

neuroblastoma
- stage 1, 2 or 4S: 75 - 90% 3 year survival
- stage 3
  - < 1 year of age: 80 - 90% 1 year event free survival
  - > 1 year of age: 50% 3 year survival
- stage 4
  - < 1 year of age: 60 - 75% 1 year event free survival
  - > 1 year of age: 15% 3 year survival ¹
ganglioneuroblastoma
- intermediate prognosis
ganglioneuroma
- complete resection is curative
- no metastatic potential
- local recurrence reported