About Neuroblastoma

  • Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid cancer in infancy and childhood.
  • Neuroblastoma most commonly starts in the abdomen, either in the adrenal glands (located just above the kidney in back of the upper abdomen) or around the spinal cord.
  • There are approximately 650 cases of Neuroblastoma diagnosed in the United States each year.
  • The average age of diagnosis is two-years old.
  • Neuroblastoma accounts for more than seven percent of all cancers in patients younger than 15, yet 15 percent of all pediatric oncology deaths are the result of Neuroblastoma.
  • The causes of Neuroblastoma are not completely known; less than two percent of all cases are thought to be hereditary.
  • Treatment is determined by many factors, including the stage of the disease at diagnosis and the child's age, site of the primary tumor and metastases, and tumor histology.
  • Neuroblastoma is commonly fatal; the long-term survival rate for children with high-risk Neuroblastoma is less than 40 percent.