Essay On Neuroblastoma

Families confined to the hospital campus because of one disease. Their children suffer in hospital beds surrounded by intense technology. A childhood stripped away from one child at a time as they begin their battle with cancer. Cancer affects many people. Pediatric cancer is often overlooked because it is an utterly depressing topic. No one wants to accept the fact that children die every day from cancer. There are many types of cancers that can be found in the little warriors. One of the most deadly forms of childhood cancer is neuroblastoma. As survival rates for adult cancers begin to soar, the survival rates for some pediatric cancers begin to incline. However, neuroblastoma is one of the forms of cancer that continually has lower survival rates than the other types of cancer. Neuroblastoma is a very serious and complex form of pediatric cancer that often leaves families heartbroken. Neuroblastoma originates from the sympathetic nervous system where immature nerve cells spontaneously divide uncontrollably. Normally, this type of cancer starts in the adrenal glands, but can also begin in the abdomen, chest, or tissue surrounding the spine. Neuroblastoma commonly spreads to surrounding lymph …show more content…
General symptoms include fever, sweating, pale skin, weight loss, diarrhea, and a general sick feeling. The location of the cancer determines other possible symptoms. Neuroblastoma in the bones can cause bone pain or tenderness and neuroblastoma in the chest can cause difficulty breathing or chronic coughing. The child’s abdomen could appear to be swollen if there is excess liquid or if the tumor is large and located in the abdomen. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001408.htm) Since, nueroblastoma symptoms mimik normal childhood problems, it can be difficult to discover the cancer, thus delaying the diagnosis until the disease has progressed to later