title: Outcome in neuroblastoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine outcome of neuroblastoma (NBL) in children under 18 mo of age who had been treated with national protocols.
  
  
  METHODS
  The characteristics and treatment outcomes of 27 children were evaluated retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The event-free survival (EFS) at 60 and 108 mo were 84.7 % ± 7.7 and 72.6 % ± 7.7, respectively. The overall survival (OS) was 91.7 % ± 8 at 108 mo. The only significant risk factor for OS in children with neuroblastoma was the treatment response at the end of therapy (p = 0.001). "Wait and see" policy was applied to two infants with low risk NBL and one infant with stage 4S neuroblastoma and all 3 of these infants have been in remission at last followup. Four of the five patients with MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma were alive at a median follow-up time of 54 mo (range: 5-108 mo).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The EFS and OS of the present group were similar to that of the previous series which included children under 18 mo of age with neuroblastoma. Well known prognostic factors did not affect EFS and OS significantly; this may be related to the retrospective design of the present study and the small number of patients reviewed. High survival rate in infants with MYCN-amplified tumors suggests the difference in the biology of infant neuroblastoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey, aykanozguven@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ali Aykan
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ozguven
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anak
authors.forename: Aysegul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Unuvar
authors.forename: Arzu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akcay
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Karakas
authors.forename: Gulyuz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Devecioglu
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Agaoğlu
mesh_terms: D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D000071447:N-Myc Proto-Oncogene Protein / Q000235:genetics; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: C459801:MYCN protein, human; D000071447:N-Myc Proto-Oncogene Protein