Neuroblastoma medical therapy

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Patients with neuroblastoma have many treatment options. The selection depends on the stage of the tumor. The options are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, retinoid therapy, or a combination of these methods. Before treatment starts, ask your health care team about possible side effects and how treatment may change your normal activities. Because cancer treatments often damage healthy cells and tissues, side effects are common. Side effects may not be the same for each person, and they may change from one treatment session to the next.

Medical Therapy

• Radiation therapy: This is a cancer treatment to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing by using high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation.
• Chemotherapy: The treatment is to use drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Common drugs include cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide, cisplatin or carboplatin.
• High-dose chemotherapy/radiation therapy and stem cell transplant: This type of treatment is sometimes used in children with high-risk neuroblastoma who are unlikely to be cured with other treatments.
• Retinoid therapy: This kind of treatment is thought to help some cells to differentiate into normal cells. For children with high-risk neuroblastoma, 13-cis-retinoic acid is used to reduce the risk of recurrence after high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant.

References

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