RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF SURVIVAL IN NEUROBLASTOMA

A retrospective clinical analysis was carried out on 39 patients with neuroblastoma treated from 1960 to June, 1988. Survival rate was analyzed according to stage, primary site, histology and age. Two-year survival was as follows : stage I, II and IVS, 100% ; stage III, 53% ; stage IVB, 40% : and stage IVA, 0 %. For all stages, patients younger than 1 year of age survived longer than those older than 1 year of age (p <0.05). However, prognosis for stage IV (stage IV S is not included) was poor regardless of age. The primary site and histology were not important with respect to prognosis. For advanced neuroblastoma (stage III and IV) the survival rate tends to be improved after 1984, but is not significant. From these results it is concluded that management of neuroblastoma should be altered to minimize therapeutic strategy in stage I, II, III (patients younger than 1 year of age) and IVS, and to improve survival in stage III (patients older than 1 year of age) and IV.