How to Spot Symptoms of Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a cancer that most often affects infants and children. It's a cancer that can even begin forming when a baby is still in its mother's womb. It forms around nerve tissue and doctors think it usually starts around the neck, chest or the top of the spine. Unfortunately because it is most common in children, by the time doctors figure out they are dealing with cancer, it has most likely spread to other areas. There are many forms of treatment recommended and available depending on the stage and severity.The chances of recovery in neuroblastoma depends on many factors including the child's age, location of the tumor, and how fast the tumors are growing. Children diagnosed with the disease will often have to go through many tests to determine the course of treatment.

Things You'll Need

• a skilled doctor to diagnose and treat the illness

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Instructions

How to Spot Symptoms of Neuroblastoma

• 1

  Look for unusual and/or significant swelling, as it is the most common symptom in neuroblastoma . Most often the swelling occurs around or near the stomach. But in other cases the swelling could be less noticeable, like a small bump or lump around the stomach, front or back of the neck neck or anywhere on the chest.

• 2

  Look at the eyes of the person in question. In many neuroblastma cases the patient's eyes bulge out more than usual. Also they might have dark circles around their eyes as well. One or both of these symptoms may appear.

• 3

  Look to see if the person cannot move parts of their body or if moving different parts is painful or extremely difficult. In infants, you might notice a difference and if there is unusual or stunted movement, look for signs that it might be painful liking crying or unusual movement. In children who can vocalize, they might complain of joint or bone pain. Children and infants might also have weakness or even paralysis.

• 4

  Examine lumps on infants to see if they have a bluish tint to them. The lumps are usually painless for the infant, but they are a potential symptom, nonetheless.

• 5

  Watching for less common symptoms like a fever, fatigue, bruising easily, pin sized marks under the skin, jerking movement, unusual eye movement, swelling in the lower body, and high blood pressure can help in the diagnosis of the disease. In general if you believe your child is ill, watching for any changes in health can help the doctors in diagnosing illnesses.