Survival outcome of intermediate risk neuroblastoma at children cancer hospital Egypt

Abstract EN

Aim : The study aims to evaluate survival outcome in newly diagnosed pediatric intermediate risk neuroblastoma patients treated at the Children Cancer Hospital – Egypt and their relation to various clinical and pathological factors.

Methods : The study included stage 3 patients <1.5 years, children 1.5 years or older with stage 3 disease and favorable histopathological features, infants (<1 year) with International Neuroblastoma Staging System(INSS) stage 4 disease, stage 4 children 1–1.5 years with favorable biology, and infants stage 4 s (with unfavorable biologic features).

Patients received systemic chemotherapy, in the form of etoposide and carboplatin alternating with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and vincristine, administered at 3-week intervals, with a total of 6 or 8 cycles guided by reaching objective overall response (complete/very good partial/partial response).

Results : The study included 136 patients, 67 males and 69 females.

101 patients had abdominal primary tumors, 28 had mediastinal masss and 7 with masses in the neck; 68% were stage 3 and the remaining (n = 44) had metastatic disease.

The three-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) estimates were 94% ± 2% and 90.9% ± 2.5%, respectively.

OS and EFS by gender, age, pathology and INPC were all statistically not significantly different.

Moreover, OS for patients having surgery versus no surgery (inoperable residual only) was statistically significant (98.4% ± 1.6% & 88.7% ± 5.3%, respectively, p = .034).

Conclusion : A very high rate of survival is currently achievable in patients with intermediate risk neuroblastoma by chemotherapy or chemotherapy and surgery.

In addition to response, our plan is to adopt biologically-based treatment to reduce treatment-induced complications among survivors