[Clinical findings in thoracic neuroblastomas].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze clinical onset and other epidemiological findings in a group of children diagnosed with thoracic neuroblastoma.


METHODS
We reviewed 46 non-metastatic thoracic neuroblastomas diagnosed and treated from January 1984 to December 1998 at the Pediatric Oncology Unit. Abdominal neuroblastomas were excluded.


RESULTS
Mean age was 2 years and 5 months (range, 0-12 years). Eighty-five percent of the patients were infants (aged less than 1 year). Neuroblastoma was more frequent in males than in females. Fifty-seven percent of the patients were symptomatic and 43% were asymptomatic. The most frequent clinical findings were cough (18%) and palpable tumor or adenopathy (9%). Mean lag-time to diagnosis was 10 weeks in symptomatic patients. Thoracic x-ray was the most useful diagnostic method (89%). Previous family history of neoplasias was present in 26%. Four patients (9%) had personal antecedents of other diseases. At the time of the study the event-free survival for the 46patients was 90% at 5 years (1-14 years).


CONCLUSIONS
Thoracic neuroblastoma was more prevalent in male infants aged less than 6months. Most symptomatic patients were diagnosed in the 2first months after onset, and asymptomatic cases were common. The most frequent symptom was cough and most of the patients were diagnosed by thoracic x-ray.
Unidad de Oncología Pediátrica. Hospital Infantil. Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío. Sevilla. 649681561@activajoven.tsm.es
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F
Díaz Fernández
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E
Quiroga Cantero
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology