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Neuroblastoma stage 4 is the most advanced stage of the neuroblastoma cancer. It means that the disease has spread to other areas of the body, like the liver or bone marrow, and the prognosis is not always good.
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.
A Neuroblastoma Overview
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.
Rates for Five-Year Survival
The five-year survival rate for infants (under the age of 1) is 83%, while it is 55% for children between the ages of 1 to 4, and 40% for older children.
But children with stage 4 neuroblastoma normally have much lower survival rates. They hover between 50% and 80% for infants (under a year old) and drop to 15% for children over the age of 1.
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 most cases, treatment involves a combination of medications. The main drugs used to treat children with neuroblastoma are cisplatin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, etoposide and topotecan. These drugs produce a positive response in two thirds of children.
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.
Radiation Therapy
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.
Children facing cancer of any type are in such a vulnerable position. The earlier in life a malignant diagnosis, the great the prospect of survival. Parents who suspect the potential for this cancer should obtain confirmation from a trusted oncologist specializing in the disease.
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