Neuroblastoma Case Study

Neuroblastoma is one of the most common childhood malignancies. Patients diagnosed under 1 years of age [40%] have a much better prognosis than those diagnosed in later childhood. Neuroblastoma originates from neural crest cells of the adrenal medulla or sympathetic ganglia. Neuroblastomas commonly present as an asymptomatic mass in a child. The treatment of neuroblastoma depends on the stage, and it includes surgical excision, multiagent chemotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation.
Key words : Neuroblastoma, childhood malignancies, asymptomatic mass
Introduction
Neuroblastoma is one of the most common childhood malignancies.[1,2] Patients diagnosed under 1 years of age [40%] have a much better prognosis than those diagnosed in later childhood[3].The wide range of clinical presentations makes the diagnosis,clinical management and follow-up a challenge. It can be diagnosed by ultrasound or CT scan. Urine
VMA analysis, FNAC or biopsy from the metastatic lesions can confirm the diagnosis. Here we report a case of 3 months old infant diagnosed as
Neuroblastomas commonly present as an asymptomatic mass in a child.[2,7] Other mode of presentations are fever, bone pain, opsoclonus, cerebellar ataxia, orbital ecchymosis or intractable diarrhea, and less commonly with myoclonus (8).Our patient was also presented with abdominal mass, fever and skin nodules.
Knowledge of local tumor extent as well as accurate staging of the disease are essential for proper treatment[9].In resectable stage 1 [confined to the site of origin] and stage 2 [extending beyond the site of origin but not crossing the midline],surgery alone is usually suffiecient without the need for chemotherapy or radiotherapy.By contrast,in stage 3 [tumor extending beyond the midline] And stage 4 [remote metastases to bones or lymphnodes], chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy are generally