Can you survive relapsed neuroblastoma?
It is one of the most difficult childhood cancers to cure with around 40% five-year survival for children with high-risk neuroblastoma (50% of all cases). Despite advances in treatment, 50% of children with high-risk neuroblastoma will relapse, and in most relapsed high risk cases, a cure is no longer possible.
Are neuroblastomas curable?
Neuroblastoma grows and reacts differently to treatment in different people. This is called the disease’s clinical behavior. Some children are cured with surgery alone or surgery with chemotherapy (see Types of Treatment). Others have a very aggressive disease that is resistant to treatment and difficult to cure.
Does neuroblastoma always come back?
Approximately half of children who are treated for high-risk neuroblastoma and achieve an initial remission will have the disease come back. In addition, in approximately 15 percent of children with high-risk neuroblastoma, the tumor does not respond to initial treatment.
How long can you live with relapsed neuroblastoma?
Although in previous studies the median survival for patients who relapsed after myeloablative therapy and bone marrow transplantation was only 3 months, with current multimodality approaches and judicious use of established as well as investigational agents, the survival can be prolonged for years, and cure may be a …
What is the prognosis for relapsed neuroblastoma?
Relapsed neuroblastoma has been considered invariably fatal in the past [1], with a median overall survival time for patients with refractory neuroblastoma of only 27.9 months and with an overall survival of only 11.0 months for patients with relapsed disease [2].
Are all neuroblastomas cancerous?
Neuroblastoma is a very rare type of cancerous tumor that almost always affects children. Neuroblastoma develops from nerve cells in the fetus called neuroblasts. Usually, as a fetus matures and after birth, the neuroblasts develop normally. Sometimes they become cancerous, causing neuroblastoma.
Are neuroblastomas malignant?
Neuroblastoma is the most common malignant (cancerous) extracranial solid tumor of childhood. It develops from the tissues that form the sympathetic nervous system, which is the part of the nervous system that regulates involuntary body functions.
Can neuroblastoma come back after surgery?
While low-risk and intermediate-risk forms of neuroblastoma may regrow (relapse) after surgery or chemotherapy, these children are usually cured with standard techniques such as surgery or chemotherapy.
What are the chances of neuroblastoma coming back?
It is estimated that as many as 50-60% of children with high-risk neuroblastoma will eventually suffer a relapse. In children with intermediate- or low-risk neuroblastoma, relapses occur in only 5-15% of cases.