Question Title: neuroblastoma

Forum: Neurology Forum
Topic: Thoracic

Posted by CCF Neuro MD on June 19, 1997 at 16:22:50:

In Reply to: neuroblastoma posted by Joanne on June 10, 1997 at 18:48:21:

: My seven year old nephew has neuroblastoma. He first had it when he was two, they misdiagnosed it as non-hodskins (sp?) lymphoma
then, treated it with a chemotherapy regimen, and it went away until he was six. At that time they realized that it was actually
neuroblastoma (in his upper thoracic region) and treated it with a course of chemo, and then surgery. Seven months have passed
since the surgery, and the tumor is back. They plan on having him undergo surgery again to try to remove the what has grown back.
My questions are: Is this the general course of treatment for this type of cancer, is this something that generally grows back,
and what are the survival rates for children with this cancer? (The tumor size is currently only at a few millimeters).

Your nephew’s case sounds rather complex and so it would be difficult for me to make any specific comments on his case. But in general, neuroblastoma of childhood is a tumor arising from the adrenals that then widely metastasize (or spreads). This type of tumor is termed an embryonal tumor because it is thought that the cell of origin for these tumors arises from stem cells (these are cells that are present early in development and from which many separate cell lines mature from). These cells retain their capability to divide and thereby cause tumors. Specific questions regarding prognosis and treatment requires a more intensive study of your nephew’s cases and also a more personal setting than this forum can provide. I wish you and your nephew the best of luck in finding the answers to your questions. If you or your family are interested in an opinion here at the Cleveland Clinic I would suggest you contact Dr Bruce Cohen who is our pediatric neurooncologist. You can make an appointment to see him by calling 216-444-5559.
This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options of your specific medical condition.AC

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