Neuroblastoma (cont.)
Treatment options for neuroblastoma
Low-risk neuroblastoma
Treatment of low-risk neuroblastoma may include the following:
- Surgery followed by watchful waiting.
- Watchful waiting alone for certain
infants.
- Surgery followed by chemotherapy, when less than half of the tumor is
removed or when serious symptoms cannot be relieved by surgery.
- Radiation therapy to treat tumors that are causing serious problems and do not respond
quickly to chemotherapy.
- Low-dose chemotherapy.
Intermediate-risk neuroblastoma
Treatment of intermediate-risk neuroblastoma
may include the following:
- Chemotherapy.
- Chemotherapy followed by surgery and/or radiation therapy.
- Radiation therapy to treat tumors that are causing serious problems and do not
respond quickly to chemotherapy.
High-risk neuroblastoma
Treatment of high-risk
neuroblastoma may include the following:
- High-dose chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove as much of the tumor as
possible.
- Radiation therapy to the tumor site and, if needed, to other parts of
the body with cancer.
- Stem cell transplant.
- Chemotherapy followed by 13-cis
retinoic acid.
- A clinical trial of monoclonal antibody therapy after
chemotherapy.
- A clinical trial of radiation therapy with radioactive iodine
before stem cell transplant.
- A clinical trial of stem cell transplant followed
by 13-cis retinoic acid.
This summary section refers to specific treatments
under study in clinical trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being
studied.
Progressive/recurrent neuroblastoma
Patients first treated for low-risk neuroblastoma
Treatment for recurrent neuroblastoma that is found in one place in the body
may include the following:
- Surgery followed by watchful waiting or chemotherapy.
- Chemotherapy.
- High-dose chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, and 13-cis retinoic acid.
Treatment for recurrent neuroblastoma that has spread to other parts of the body may include
the following:
- Watchful waiting.
- Surgery followed by chemotherapy.
- Chemotherapy.
- High-dose chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, and 13-cis retinoic acid.
- A clinical trial
of a new treatment.
Patients first treated for intermediate-risk neuroblastoma
For recurrent neuroblastoma that is found in one place in the body, treatment
is usually surgery, with or without chemotherapy.
For recurrent neuroblastoma that has spread to other parts of the body,
treatment is usually high-dose chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, and 13-cis
retinoic acid.
Patients first treated for high-risk neuroblastoma
Treatment of recurrent neuroblastoma in patients first treated for high-risk
neuroblastoma may include the following:
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy followed by monoclonal antibody therapy.
- A clinical trial of radiation therapy with radioactive iodine, alone or before
stem cell transplant.
- A clinical trial of stem cell transplant.
This summary
section refers to specific treatments under study in clinical trials, but it may
not mention every new treatment being studied.
SOURCE: U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute
Last Editorial Review: 12/19/2007
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