Late-stage symptoms of neuroblastoma

Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 14, 2024
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For patients with neuroblastoma, they often experience significant symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. The intracranial pressure continuously rises, leading to noticeable optic atrophy, vision loss, and visual field defects. When the tumor volume further increases, it may also compress the surrounding tissues, causing apparent cranial nerve dysfunction. Moreover, in the late stages of the disease, the tumor can spread to other parts of the body via the bloodstream, forming metastases. Additionally, it is likely to disseminate through the cerebrospinal fluid.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Is neuroblastoma serious?

Neuroblastoma is relatively serious and is classified as a highly malignant tumor, one of the epithelial cell tumors. The disease often leads to severe intracranial pressure increases, manifesting as intense headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and even possible optic disc edema, vision loss, and visual field defects. The occurrence of neuroblastoma often indicates a poor prognosis for patients, with a short disease duration and reduced survival time. The five-year survival rate is decreased. Treatment primarily involves surgical intervention to completely remove the neuroblastoma, followed by postoperative radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other related treatments.

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How to avoid neuroblastoma

To avoid neuroblastoma, it is recommended to develop good living habits in daily life, including maintaining over 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day to keep physically healthy. Additionally, it is advisable to consume more fruits rich in vitamin C, which contain abundant vitamins that can effectively serve as antioxidants. Keeping good sleep habits, going to bed early and waking up early, avoiding staying up late and long durations of using mobile phones or computers to minimize excessive exposure to electromagnetic radiation. In daily life, one should also learn self-protection, avoid contact with carcinogenic chemicals, and avoid excessive exposure to radioactive pollution. All these measures can effectively prevent the condition.

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What should be avoided in the diet for neuroblastoma?

Patients with neuroblastoma should be cautious with their diet and avoid foods that are overly greasy or spicy. It's also advisable to limit or avoid carbohydrate-rich or fried foods and those high in cholesterol. If the patient has allergies, they should avoid seafood products, which contain abundant animal proteins and can trigger allergic reactions, potentially leading to allergic dermatitis or allergic asthma. Additionally, some fruits, such as durian or mango, may also induce allergic reactions, so it is best to consume them sparingly or not at all.

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How to diagnose neuroblastoma?

For neuroblastoma, the final diagnosis requires the patient to undergo surgical treatment. During the surgery, the neuroblastoma is completely excised, and a small amount of tumor tissue is retained for pathological sectioning. The diagnosis is determined based on the results of the pathological examination, which assesses the specific cells of the neuroblastoma, whether it is benign or malignant, and its level of malignancy. This also determines how the patient will receive subsequent treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In addition to relying on pathological examinations, most neuroblastoma patients can also undergo more thorough examinations. In most cases, elevated levels of catecholamines and their metabolites can be found in the blood or urine of neuroblastoma patients, significantly higher than that of the normal population.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Causes of Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a highly malignant tumor. In most cases, it is seen in neuroepithelial cells. Currently, there is no consensus on the specific causes of neuroblastoma. It is generally believed that congenital genetic factors, as well as mutations, gene deletions, and changes in tumor suppressor genes in patients, are greatly related. Acquired factors should not be ignored either, such as poor lifestyle and dietary habits. In most cases, the prognosis for neuroblastoma is poor, with patients having a short survival period. Most patients, even after undergoing surgical treatment, often experience poor outcomes and ultimately die from multi-organ dysfunction and failure.