Treatment of neuroblastoma depends largely on the type and stage. Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, stem cell transplantation, retinoid therapy and immunotherapy.
Surgery: Surgery can be used for both diagnosis and treatment. For smaller neuroblastomas that have not yet spread, surgery is the best option.
Chemotherapy: Commonly used chemotherapy drugs include: cyclophosphamide, cisplatin or carboplatin, vincristine, doxorubicin, etoposide, topotecan.
Radiotherapy: Radiotherapy kills cancer cells through high-energy rays, but it will also damage normal tissues and cause long-term side effects. The commonly used radiotherapy for neuroblastoma is external irradiation and radioisotope radiotherapy.
Stem cell transplantation: This treatment is mainly for high-risk children, which cannot be cured by other therapies. It usually involves high doses of chemotherapy or radiotherapy to kill the cancer cells before the transplant, followed by a stem cell transplant to rebuild the bone marrow.
Retinoic acid therapy: Retinoic acid is mainly used after high-dose chemotherapy/radiotherapy + stem cell transplantation to prevent recurrence of neuroblastoma.
Immunotherapy: Currently in neuroblastoma, the commonly used immunologic drug is dinutuximab.
Patients are advised to visit the hospital for active consultation.