Comprehensive Treatment Options for Pediatric Neuroblastoma

The current research seeks to review the existing literature on available treatment options for pediatric neuroblastoma (chemotherapy, radiation, medication treatment, and surgical intervention) and to determine which treatment option or combination of options would be best for treating this devastating pediatric cancer. Adverse effects of each type of treatment option are also considered. Findings have shown that Radiation therapy should be used after diagnosis due to how long of a process this treatment option takes to stop the spread and progression of cancer. Surgical treatment should be used for early to mid-stages of detection and diagnosis of neuroblastoma. When tumors are small and have yet to spread and entangle to structures and blood vessels, they are much simpler to surgically resect as opposed to when cancerous tumors spread throughout the brain and body, making it much more difficult to surgically resect. If neuroblastoma is diagnosed and detected in mid to late stages, and or aggressive spread of cancer throughout the body is occurring, chemotherapy should be used, it is often saved for when rapid progression and spread for the disease has occurred due to patient’s quality of life significantly worsening, as well as the many adverse side effects that come with it. Chemotherapy yields best results in combination to radiation therapy; this is because chemotherapy help weaken the spread and progression of cancer cells which helps radiation work better in eradicating them