Role of 131-I MIBG Therapy in the Treatment of Advanced Neuroblastoma.

Introduction: Neuroblastoma, a neoplasm of the sympathetic nervous system, is the second most extracranial malignant solid tumor of childhood. Many therapeutic strategies has evolved over the last 20 years, based upon work by international cooperative groups and smaller cohort studies. Novel therapies to improve initial disease response and treatment of minimal residual disease are required to improve survival for these children with highrisk neuroblastoma. Radio-labeled MIBG therapy has been tried in the treatment of advanced stage 3&4 neuroblastoma in an attempt to improve patients’ outcome. The use of radio-labeled MIBG to treat neuroblastoma has arisen from the high sensitivity and specificity of in-vivo MIBG imaging for detection of primary and metastatic tumors. Aim of the Work: To determine the impact of MIBG therapy on neuroblastoma patients’ outcome and its impact on their quality of life.