Prognostic factors including neoadjuvant chemotherapy in Mexican children with neuroblastoma.
BACKGROUND
There are several prognostic factors in children with neuroblastoma that have been outlined in the international literature.


METHODS
A retrospective study was carried out analysing the medical records of patients with the pathological diagnosis of neuroblastoma seen at the Department of Oncology from the Instituto Nacional de Pediatriá (Mexico) between January 1984 to January 1997. A total of 32 clinical prognostic factors were assess in our population.


RESULTS
Fifty five patients whose age ranged from 1 to 168 months old, mean of 35 months were included. Out of 32 prognostic factors only 6 including sex (p= 0.0039), metastatic disease to bone (p= 0.003), bone marrow involvement (p= 0.0027), staging system (p= 0.000015), surgical treatment (p 0,0022) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p.005) were the most significant.


CONCLUSIONS
It was concluded that besides the prognostic factors outlined, neoadjuvant chemotherapy is of utmost importance. It decreases tumor volume and allows surgery to be more successful, therefore believing that this variable represents a specific prognostic factor in cases of advanced neuroblastoma.
Olaya-Vargas
Alberto
A
Department of Oncology, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Secretaría de Salud, 04530 Mexico City, Mexico.
Rivera-Luna
Roberto
R
Cárdenas-Cardós
Rocío
R
Castellanos Toledo
Araceli
A
Pérez González
Oscar Alberto
OA
Robles Castro
Julieta
J
Calderón Elvir
Carlos
C
D000293:Adolescent; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies