Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
Neuroblastoma Australia
Newsletter sign up
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • instagram
  • LinkedIn
Charity Shop Donate
Menu
  • About Us
    • Our purpose
    • Our story
    • Our people
      • Our Committee
      • Our Scientific Advisory Board
      • Our Neuroblastoma Australia Team
    • Our supporters
    • Our financial reports
    • Contact us
  • About Neuroblastoma
    • Family stories
      • Family stories
    • What is neuroblastoma?
      • What is neuroblastoma?
      • Neuroblastoma Fact Sheet
      • Resources
    • Key research areas
  • Our Impact
    • Why fund research?
    • Our research projects
      • Current projects
      • Past projects
    • Grant applications
    • Grant recipients
  • Family Support
    • Newly diagnosed
      • Key statistics
      • Causes & risks
      • Detection, diagnosis & staging
    • On treatment
      • Treatments & side effects
      • Clinical trials
    • Post treatment
      • Late effects
      • Relapse
    • Living with neuroblastoma
      • Hospital tips
      • Life outside of hospital
      • After treatment
    • Free family activities
    • Related support services
    • Connecting with others
    • Share your story
    • Apply for an activity pack
  • Support us
    • How you can help
    • Donate
    • Support our appeals
    • Support our fundraisers
      • All our fundraisers
      • #44kmfor44kids
    • Leave a gift in your will
    • Visit our shop
  • Get Involved
    • Fundraise
      • Fundraise for us
      • Fundraising ideas
      • Set up your own fundraising page
    • Attend an event
    • Volunteer with us
    • Partner with us
      • Workplace giving
      • Move2Cure
  • Latest
    • News
    • Coronavirus help guide
    • Our events
    • Past events
    • Conferences
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Treatment & side effects
  1. Family Support
  2. On treatment
  3. Treatments & side effects

Treatment & side effects

Treatment

Treatment and care of children with cancer is usually provided by a team of health professionals called a multidisciplinary team. Members of this team are specialists in children’s cancers – they understand the differences between children’s cancer and adult cancer, and each team member brings different skills in managing care to meet the needs of both you and your child.

The team will be led by a childhood cancer specialist (paediatric oncologist). Other members of the team depend on the age of your child and their type of disease, and may change over time as your child’s needs change. A list of team members who might make up the multidisciplinary team can be found in The treatment team. 

Treatment for neuroblastoma depends on the age of your child, the stage of the disease, the biological features of the cancer and other factors identified during diagnosis. Treatment will be tailored to your child’s particular situation, and may involve one or more of the following (see How is cancer treated for more detail).

Surgery

Your child is likely to have surgery to remove all or part of the tumour. If the entire tumour can be removed and it has not spread to other parts of the body, your child may not need any other treatment.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer medicines to destroy cancer cells. It is often given as a combination of medicines to try to prevent the cancer cells from becoming resistant to just one or two medicines. Chemotherapy medicines are given together in courses, often over a few days. Once the body has recovered from the side effects, the next course is given. Most children receive multiple courses of chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy may be used:

  • before surgery (to shrink the tumour and make it easier to remove)
  • after surgery (to destroy any remaining cancer cells) 
  • as the main treatment (if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, or if surgery is not a good option )
  • to relieve symptoms of neuroblastoma.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy X-rays or other types of radiation to destroy cancer cells or stop them from growing. Radiation therapy is commonly used to treat children with high-risk neuroblastoma. If radiation therapy is included in your child’s treatment, special care will be taken to reduce the risks. Radiation therapy can be used to relieve symptoms of neuroblastoma, usually after other treatments have been tried.

Stem cell transplant

Some children with high-risk neuroblastoma may be treated using a stem cell transplant (also known as a bone marrow transplant), in combination with high-dose chemotherapy or radiation therapy. After the transplant, your child will be given additional treatment known as maintenance therapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells. Maintenance therapy is given for 6 months and may include:a vitamin-like medicine that slows the cancer's ability to make more cancer cells antibodies and other compounds to stimulate the body’s immune system to destroy any remaining cancer cells.

Careful observation

For a few carefully selected patients, specific treatment may not be needed. If your child has a tumour that is not growing or spreading, they might be monitored closely but not given any treatment until they develop symptoms, or until their symptoms change. In some children (especially very young children), a neuroblastoma will disappear by itself, and no treatment is needed.

Support

Diagnosis of cancer in a child is a very difficult time for the child, their family and their friends. You might feel overwhelmed, scared, anxious or angry. These are all normal feelings. It is very important to seek support from family, friends, health professionals or other services to help you, your child and your family cope with cancer.

Talk to your child’s treatment team if you are having difficulties coping.

Living with children’s cancer has information about physical, emotional and practical issues during and after diagnosis and treatment. There is also a page with helpful links on where to find support.

The Cancer Council in your state or territory can give you general information about cancer, as well as information on resources and support groups in your local area. Call the Cancer Council Helpline from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call on 13 11 20 .

For additional specific information about childhood cancer, contact any of the major children’s hospitals and networks in your state or territory.

Chance of cure

Many children with cancer are cured of the disease. Children’s bodies have great capacity for healing. Also, huge improvements have been made in the treatment of childhood cancer in the past few decades. In the 1980s, around 65% of children diagnosed with cancer were alive more than 5 years after their diagnosis. Today, around 83% of children are successfully treated and become long-term survivors. Long-term survival (also called the outlook or prognosis) and treatment options depend on a range of factors, including:

  • age of your child at diagnosis 
  • extent or stage of the cancer 
  • appearance of the cancer cells under the microscope (the shape, function and structure of the cells)
  • how the cancer responds to treatment cancer or tumour biology, which includes: 
    • the patterns of the cancer cells 
    • how different the cancer cells are from normal cells 
    • how fast the cancer cells are growing.

Talk to your child’s doctor about your child’s individual disease, treatment options and outlook.

This information is reproduced with permission of Cancer Australia and you can download the full Cancer Australia’s Neuroblastoma Fact Sheet here.

Read next: Clinical Trials

More information:

If your child has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, your child's treatment team will discuss the options with you. It’s important to weigh the benefits of each treatment option against the possible risks and side effects. Visit our Related support services page for organisations that can help during this time and our Living with neuroblastoma area for helpful tips from other neuroblastoma families.

Below are links to more information regarding treatments and their side-effects:

  • The Royal Hospital Melbourne’s Fact Sheets 
  • Treatments - Cancer Australia
  • Treatment and side effects downloadable PDF American Cancer Society
  • Treating neuroblastoma - American Cancer Society
  • Treatment of neuroblastoma by risk group - American Cancer Society
  • Preparing for a treatment - American Cancer Society
  • Treatment option overview - PDQ Neuroblastoma Treatment
  • Treatment side effects - PDQ Neuroblastoma Treatment

Published: 20th August, 2019

Updated: 23rd February, 2021

Author: Karina May

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Golf2Cure 2021

    Golf2Cure 2021

    Golf2Cure Neuroblastoma 2021 was held on Friday, 12th Feb at the beautiful St Michael’s Golf Club, Little Bay to raise vital funds for research into neuroblastoma childhood cancer. More details on the next Golf2Cure 2022 coming soon.

  • Cook2Cure Neuroblastoma

    Cook2Cure Neuroblastoma

    Introducing our first ever, Cook 2 Cure, a cook book with an eclectic collection of recipes from celebrity chefs. All profit from this book will contribute to vital research for Neuroblastoma childhood cancer. Pre-order your copy today!

  • Noah's Story

    Noah's Story

    Our first Run2Cure 2021 Superhero, Noah Lord is a cheerful, spirited, strong-willed 3 year old, who has not let Neuroblastoma slow him down. On Saturday, September 4th 2021, he and his family will be supporting the Run2Cure 2021 to raise awareness and funds for Neuroblastoma childhood cancer.

  • Musical toys shown to enhance development of toddlers

    Musical toys shown to enhance development of toddlers

    To help keep your kids entertained whilst advancing their development at the same time, Neuroblastoma Australia have recently added a new musical toy collection to our online charity shop.

Related

  • Clinical Trials

    Clinical Trials

    Participating in a clinical trial may or may not directly benefit your child, but the results of clinical trials today will help children with cancer in the future.

  • Treatments

  • Living with Neuroblastoma

  • Find out more about clinical trials

Most read

  • Run2Cure Domain 2021

    Run2Cure Domain 2021

    Run2Cure Domain 2021 will take place in September 2021. Enjoy a wonderful day of fun runs and family entertainment and support research into a cure for the children's cancer neuroblastoma.

  • Accessibility

    Neuroblastoma Australia is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. Our website endeavours to conform to level Double-A of the World Wide Web Consortium W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.

  • Kahlilla's Story #14km

    Kahlilla's Story #14km

    Little Lilla's light continues to shine. Always and forever.

  • What is neuroblastoma?

  • Detection, diagnosis & staging

    Detection, diagnosis & staging

    Most symptoms of neuroblastoma are caused by the growth of the cancer into nearby tissues or organs, or its spread to distant parts of the body such as bones or bone marrow.

  • Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

    Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

    September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Share our hope for a cure for ALL types of neuroblastoma during September. More children under five die from neuroblastoma than from any other childhood cancer.

  • Summer's Story #34

    Summer's Story #34

    Summer battled for 15 months and gained her wings 22 December 2018. Very loved and missed by her family especially her three brothers

  • Two research grants awarded

    Two research grants awarded

    Today we announced funding grants to two ground breaking research projects which we hope will take us a step close to finding a cure for the rare and deadly children’s cancer neuroblastoma.

  • Free family activities

    Free family activities

    With so many of our families and friends at home or in hospital, we've put together some of our best picks for free family fun. We hope you enjoy them! If you have anything fun you'd like to add, please email us at [email protected]

  • Why Fund Research?

    Why Fund Research?

    Neuroblastoma takes the lives of more children under five than any other cancer, surely the government and pharmaceutical companies provide all the support researchers need to find a cure? The short answer is no.

Tag cloud

#GivingTuesdayNow 2little 44kmfor44kids A gift for a child with cancer Donate today Golf2Cure research Zach's neuroblastoma story

Sign up for our newsletter




  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • instagram

Some of our generous supporters include:

  
 

Approved by:

 Social Impact 2020 Rating

  • Contact us
  • Media
  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Registered charity ABN : 74 173 375 414
Neuroblastoma Australia Level 1, 441 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest, NSW 2065,
+61 (0)406 991 606, [email protected]