What is Neuroblastoma?

Neuroblastoma is a solid tumor cancer that originates in the sympathetic nervous system, the nerve network that carries messages from the brain throughout the body. The cause of neuroblastoma is unknown. When neuroblast cells fail to develop normally they form tumors in the nerve tissues, usually in the neck, abdomen, or pelvis, and most commonly in the adrenal glands.

Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer found in infants and is usually diagnosed in children under the age of five. 50-60% of children who are diagnosed have disease that has already metastasized or spread to other parts of the body. Children over the age of 2 with metastatic disease when diagnosed have only a 30% chance of survival.

Neuroblastoma Facts

• Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in infants

• Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children

• Approximately 700 children are diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the United States each year

• Neuroblastoma accounts for approximately 8-10% of all childhood cancer diagnoses, but results in 15% of all childhood cancer deaths

• Over 40% of children diagnosed fall into the high-risk category

• Children over age 2 with high-risk neuroblastoma have an approximately 30% chance of survival

• 50-60% of high-risk neuroblastoma patients have a relapse

• There is no known cure for relapsed neuroblastoma

• Survival rates for children with high-risk neuroblastoma show only modest improvement in recent years, compared to significant improvements for other childhood cancers

• Leading researchers in the field acknowledge that neuroblastoma remains a “clinical enigma”

Childhood Cancer Facts

• Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children

• Every school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer

• Approximately 13,000 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year

• Over 2,300 children with cancer die each year

• The National Cancer Institute spends less than 3% of its total budget on pediatric cancer