title: Cervical neuroblastoma and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2a.
abstract: The authors report the case of a female infant who was referred at the age of 18 months for a left latero-cervical mass. This child belongs to a family with a history of multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2a (10 persons in 4 generations had medullary thyroid carcinoma and/or pheochromocytoma). Surgery was performed with complete excision of an encapsulated tumor and pathological examination reported a typical ganglioneuroblastoma. No amplification of N-myc oncogene was observed. The probability of the child carrying a MEN-2a gene is estimated 2 to 4%, by DNA analysis. The patient has received no further treatment and is still free of disease 4 years later. The diagnostic problems of this tumor after basic tests were between neuroblastoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma. The link between neuroblastoma and MEN-2a syndrome is discussed because both diseases belong to the group of neural crest tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Marseille University Medical School, France.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Triglia
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheiner
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009377:Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D010375:Pedigree