How is neuroblastoma diagnosed?

Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 05, 2024
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For patients with neuroblastoma, diagnosis is primarily through the symptoms, signs, detailed physical examinations, medical history inquiries, and most importantly, radiological data, which includes CT scans or MRI of the head. Definitive diagnosis requires surgical removal of the tumor. A small amount of tumor tissue is retained after excision and used for pathological examination to confirm the diagnosis. Neuroblastoma is categorized as an epithelial-like malignant tumor, indicative of a high degree of malignancy. In most cases, early in the disease, the tumor adheres to surrounding tissues, which greatly complicates complete surgical removal, and most patients have a poor prognosis.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Late-stage symptoms of neuroblastoma

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 Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
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Is calcification of neuroblastoma good?

In clinical practice, although calcification is a relatively favorable phenomenon, the overall condition of neuroblastoma does not change significantly because of it. Therefore, it is still not a good sign. For neuroblastoma, whether calcification occurs or not, it remains a form of tumor. Only through early surgical treatment can the problem be fundamentally resolved, otherwise, there is a tendency for recurrence and metastasis to occur later on. Moreover, it is important to note that regardless of whether the tumor calcifies, its nature does not change. Only fundamental treatment can bring better hope, so calcification does not lead to very good outcomes.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Can neuroblastoma be treated?

Neuroblastoma is the most common tumor in childhood, and it is also the most common in infants and toddlers. Typically, neuroblastoma is a type of neuroendocrine tumor, clinically found often in the adrenal glands or in nervous tissues such as the neck, chest, and abdomen. Currently, neuroblastoma can be effectively classified according to its level of risk into low-risk, intermediate-risk, or high-risk groups. For patients in the low-risk group, surgical treatment can achieve satisfactory results; for patients in the intermediate-risk or high-risk groups, treatment often involves a combination of methods, yet still may not achieve satisfactory results.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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neuroblastoma cure rate

Neuroblastoma is relatively likely to be a malignant tumor, typically characterized by rapid growth of malignant tumors.In the early stages of the disease, it often adheres to surrounding tissues, making it difficult to completely remove through surgery. Even with surgical treatment, the outcomes are generally modest, and recurrence is likely to occur shortly after surgery. Once recurrence occurs, the malignancy of the tumor will continue to increase.For these patients, the prognosis is poor. It is generally recommended to undergo surgical treatment early, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy to potentially extend the patient's lifespan, but it is usually difficult to cure.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Can neuroblastoma be cured?

Neuroblastoma is a malignant tumor that often grows rapidly. In the early stages of the disease, it can easily invade surrounding tissues and nerves, making it very difficult to completely remove the tumor through surgery. In most cases, even after surgical treatment, there is a high tendency for recurrence in children, making it difficult to achieve a clinical cure. For most patients with neuroblastoma, early post-surgical treatment involving high doses of radiotherapy and chemotherapy can effectively reduce the likelihood of tumor recurrence and appropriately prolong the patient’s lifespan. This helps in extending the lifespan and improving the quality of life to some extent, but generally, the final prognosis remains poor.