Neuroblastoma today

Abstract

Notwithstanding the progress made in radiology, nuclear medicine, immunohematology and genetics for more accurate diagnosis and staging in neuroblastoma and the availability of general new efficacious cytostatic drugs, the prognosis of children over 1 yr with advanced disease has remained poor. New refinements in therapeutics with multiagent regimens, massive chemotherapy followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation treatment, with or without immunomagnetic purging, and/or total body irradiation have improved response rate and disease-free survival in metastatic patients, but their effect on long-term survival needs further evaluation.