This is a type of cancer that can begin in the early forms of nerve cells evident in an embryo or the fetus. Neuroblastoma mostly develops in infants, young children and rarely in children older than 10 years age. The nervous system of the body consists of the brain, spinal cord and the nerves. The nervous system that controls the functions of the body such as the heart rate and blood pressure are known as the autonomic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system is a part of the autonomic nervous system. The neuroblastoma is cancer that can begin in the early nerve cells called neuroblasts of the sympathetic nervous system. The neuroblastomas can begin in the adrenal glands, in the sympathetic nerve ganglia in the abdomen, near the spine in the chest or the neck. It can also spread to other parts of the body such as the bone marrow, the bone, lymph nodes and the skin.
Causes
Cancer can develop because of a genetic mutation that enables the healthy cells to multiply out of control forming a tumor. Neroblastoma develops in the immature nerve cells that are a part of the fetus’s developmental process. Normally, the fetus matures and the neuroblasts turn into nerve cells and cells that make up the adrenal glands. The neuroblasts can either mature or disappear otherwise they can become a tumor.
Symptoms
The symptom of neuroblastoma is the tumor that continues to grow and press on the nearby tissues. The common signs include the presence of a lump in the abdomen, neck or the chest, bulging eyes, bone pain, swollen stomach, dark circles around the eyes, painless lumps under the skin and weakness or paralysis. Other less common symptoms include fever, fatigue, shortness of breath, easy bruising or bleeding, high blood pressure, jerky movements of the muscles and uncontrolled eye movements.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis includes a physical examination, history of the individual and with various tests. During the physical examination, the presence of lumps will be identified. Additional tests include a urine test that looks for certain chemicals produced by neuroblastoma cells and an mIBG scan where an injection of a substance is administered that is taken up by neuroblastoma cells. A biopsy involves a procedure where a sample of the affected tissue is removed that will be examined under the microscope for characteristic findings. In addition, various scans may also be necessary such as an ultrasound, CT scans and MRI of various parts of the body and in some case, a bone marrow biopsy is required to determine if the cancer has spread.
Treatment
The main treatment options include a surgery to remove cancer, chemotherapy that uses drugs to destroy cancerous cells, radiotherapy involving high radiation to kill cancer cells and an immunotherapy that administers medications which directly target the neuroblastoma cells.
References
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/neuroblastoma/Pages/Introduction.aspx
https://www.cancer.gov/types/neuroblastoma/patient/neuroblastoma-treatment-pdq
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/neuroblastoma/about/what-is-neuroblastoma.html