Treatment

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Treatment options for neuroblastoma are similar to those of other cancers in the way that treatment is usually guided by the type, stage, location and size of the cancer. The U.S. National Library of Medicine website is a great resource for understanding how neuroblastoma is staged and how treatment may be guided by explaining each of the treatment options in detail. Neuroblastoma treatment may be very individualized with standard treatment (most commonly used) or clinical trials (treatment that is used in research).

The following treatment options may be used alone or in combination:
    
     Standard Treatment
          > Surgery
          > Radiation
          > Chemotherapy
          > High-dose Chemo and Radiation with Stem Cell Rescue

     Clinical Trial Treatment Therapies
          > Targeted
          > Vaccine
          > Other Drugs

Depending on the stage of neuroblastoma and its risk category these options may be used:

     Low-Risk Neuroblastoma
          > Surgery
          > Observation (if the child does not have signs or symptoms)
          > Chemotherapy
 
     Intermediate-Risk Neuroblastoma
          > Chemotherapy
          > Surgery
          > Radiation
          > Observation (only in certain circumstances with infants)

     High-Risk Neuroblastoma
          > Combination therapy of: chemo, surgery, radiation and
              stem cell rescue 
          > Clinical trial chemotherapy combined with of any of the following:
                - Stem cell rescue
                - Surgery, stem cell rescue, and radiation
                - Stem cell rescue and other clinical trial treatments

All of the above listed treatments are listed in greater detail in the Treatment Option Overview section of this website. It can be very complicated once a child receives a neuroblastoma diagnosis so working with the patient's team of health care providers can be of great help when navigating options of this terrible disease. Please visit the sources that I have listed below to get an even better understanding of neuroblastoma.
         
         

Sources:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/neuroblastoma/Patient/page4

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/neuroblastoma/detailedguide/neuroblastoma-treating-general-info

http://neuroblastoma.cancertreatment.net/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0032656/