Developing an Understanding of the Stage 4 Neuroblastoma Affliction in Kids

Neuroblastoma stage 4 is a cancer that has spread to the body's other areas - such as the bones, lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver, skin or potentially other vital organs.

If you are the parent of a child diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the fourth stage, read on for an overview of the disease, information on stage 4 and how the disease is treated.

About Neuroblastoma

Approximately 650 cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed every year in the U.S. It's the third most common kind of cancer in children and the most frequent form in infants. Approximately 90 percent of all cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed in children aged 6 and under.

About 30% of all neuroblastoma cases begin in the adrenal glands, another 30% start in the ganglia of the abdomen's sympathetic nervous system, and the majority of the remainder begin in the neck's sympathetic ganglia, chest or pelvis.

Survival Rates

With most cases of neuroblastoma, the five year survival rate for children under the age of 1 is an impressive 83%. For kids between 1 and 4, it's 55% and for children 5 and older, only 40%.

However, for children diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, that survival rate drops to 50-80% for children under the age of one and to 15% for older children.

Treatments Used for Stage 4 of Neuroblastoma

Children who are diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma are considered high risk. They are typically subjected to intensive, high-dosage chemotherapy accompanied by surgery and stem cell transplantations. Typically though, surgery is the first step unless the neuroblastoma has spread too far.

In many cases of stage 4 neuroblastoma, chemotherapy is the only option after surgery to eradicate all the cancer cells. The drugs most often used include vincristine, etoposide, topotecan, cyclophosphamie and cisplatin.

In certain cases, particularly when the cancer has spread too far to be completely removed by surgery - as is the case with the fourth stage of neuroblastoma - chemotherapy is the primary treatment.

Bone Marrow Transplantation and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation

Because high-dosage chemotherapy will wipe out bone marrow, new blood cells are no longer being developed, so children are at a high risk. Because kids diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma must often undergo intense chemotherapy sessions, they should also be prepared for a bone marrow transplant and/or a secondary blood stem cell transplant.

Treatments of Radiation

Radiation therapy has been used in the past to destroy any neuroblastoma cells that remain behind after surgery. It's also used to shrink tumors.

However, in many instances of late-stage and advanced neuroblastoma, it's rarely used unless it's implemented as a pain-management tool or in conjunction with chemotherapy.

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