title: Neuroblastoma: the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Children's Hospital experience.
abstract: The treatment results for 118 patients with neuroblastoma seen at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Children's Hospital from 1970 to 1980 were analyzed. Patients were treated with a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy depending on stage and age. Disease-free survival was excellent in all patient groups except those over one year of age with stage IV disease, a group for which currently available therapy cures only a small proportion of patients. Patients with stage III disease and older patients with stage II disease did extremely well (survival of 81% and 89%, respectively) and may have benefited from intensive treatment with all three modalities. Survival for infants (under one year) with stage IV neuroblastoma (90%) has clearly improved with intensive combination chemotherapy. With combination approaches and newer, more effective systemic regimens, a real impact on survival appears to have been made in the last decade. Better approaches will be necessary to cure more than an occasional older patient with stage IV disease.
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005729:Ganglioneuroma / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy