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  1. About Neuroblastoma
  2. What is neuroblastoma?

What is neuroblastoma?

Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumour of childhood. It is almost exclusively a childhood cancer occurring most commonly between the ages of 0-5 years. It results from immature nerve cells within the sympathetic nervous system.

What is neuroblastoma

We gratefully acknowledge the American Society of Clinical Oncology Cancer.Net for permission to use the image below.

What is neuroblastoma?

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Let's start with the name:

  • neuro = nerves
  • blastoma = a cancer that affects immature or developing cells.

So, neuroblastomas are cancers that start in early nerve cells (called neuroblasts) of the sympathetic nervous system.

This means that tumours can be found anywhere along this system; most commonly (about 50%) start in the adrenal glands (above the kidney), or near the spine, chest, neck or pelvis. 

Rarely, a neuroblastoma has spread so widely by the time it is found, doctors can’t tell exactly where it started.

Some neuroblastomas grow and spread quickly, while others grow slowly.

Published: 2nd July, 2018

Updated: 25th February, 2021

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How common is neuroblastoma?

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Neuroblastoma is a rare disease with about 40 children diagnosed with neuroblastoma each year in Australia. There is a chance of 1 in 100,000 of a child suffering neuroblastoma. There appears to be no trend in an increasing number of cases in Australia.

Published: 1st July, 2019

Updated: 2nd February, 2021

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Why does this cancer form?

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There are no known reasons as to why this cancer occurs and there are no clear environmental links. There are rare cases where neuroblastoma runs in families due to a genetic mutation, but in most cases there is no known genetic cause.

Published: 3rd July, 2019

Updated: 2nd February, 2021

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How is it diagnosed?

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Neuroblastoma may be difficult to diagnose as symptoms often do not become apparent until the tumour has reached a certain size. Even then symptoms may be subtle and similar to other more common non-serious childhood diseases. As a result it often takes some time before the final diagnosis of neuroblastoma is made.

Often parents wonder if they or a doctor should have noticed something sooner, but because it is such a rare disease it is unlikely that a family doctor will ever see a child with neuroblastoma in a lifetime of practice.



Published: 5th July, 2019

Updated: 2nd February, 2021

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How dangerous is neuroblastoma?

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Neuroblastoma is a very complex cancer and there are many different types that behave very differently. At one end of the spectrum are benign tumours that may even resolve spontaneously, while at the other end are aggressive tumours with an average survival rate of only 50%. The cure rate for these “high-risk” tumours has only improved marginally in recent years but there is clear hope that this rate will change with some new drug discoveries coming through.



Published: 6th July, 2019

Updated: 2nd February, 2021

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More information

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One of our goals as a charity is to provide practical information regarding treatment and hospital stays to neuroblastoma families through our website. 

We've added a Coronavirus Help Guide and a free activity guide to help families recently and our family support area has more information including:

  • Newly diagnosed - key statistics, causes, risks, detection, diagnosis and staging
  • On treatment - treatments and side effects, clinical trials
  • Post treatment - late effects and relapse
  • Living with neuroblastoma - hospital tips, life outside hospital and once treatment has finished
  • Support services for families
  • Connecting with other neuroblastoma families
  • Sharing your story

You can also download our neuroblastoma fact sheet here.

Please note that all content provided by Neuroblastoma Australia is of a general nature only. Any medical queries should be directed to your oncologist or medical team.

Published: 26th August, 2019

Updated: 2nd April, 2021

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    Help us beat the number one toddler cancer. Please donate today to support world class Australian research into developing better, safer treatments with the ultimate goal of finding a definitive cure for all children diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

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Registered charity ABN : 74 173 375 414
Neuroblastoma Australia Level 1, 441 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest, NSW 2065,
+61 (0)2 9906 2066, [email protected]