Several times ago I read some news about the death of a 6-years-old child because of cancer called neuroblastoma. I felt so sad because he is still a young kid, so I think I should find more about neuroblastoma and here is what I found.
Neuroblastoma is a cancer of specialised nerve cells, called neural crest cells. These cells are involved in the development of the nervous system and other tissues.
Fewer than 100 children are diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the UK each year. Most children who get this cancer are younger than five years old.
Most neuroblastomas (about two thirds) start in the abdomen. About one third of neuroblastomas start in the adrenal glands and another third begin in the sympathetic nervous system ganglia of the abdomen. The rest start in sympathetic ganglia of the chest or neck or in the pelvis. Some can start in the spinal cord. Rarely, a neuroblastoma may have spread so extensively by the time it is found that doctors are unable to determine exactly where it started. Unfortunately, the cause of neuroblastoma is still unknown.
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Other symptoms vary, depending on where the neuroblastoma starts:
If the tumor is in the abdomen, your child’s tummy may be swollen and they may complain of constipation or have difficulty passing urine. Sometimes your child’s blood pressure is found to be high.
If the tumor affects the chest area, your child may be breathless and have difficulty swallowing.
If the tumor occurs in the neck, it may be visible as a lump as well as affecting breathing and