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What is Neuroblastoma?
Neuroblastoma is a solid tumour of childhood cancer. It develops from nerve cells called neuroblasts. These cells are most commonly found in the adrenal glands (above the kidney) and along the tissues around the spinal cord.
There are no known reasons as to why this cancer occurs and there are no clear environmental links. There are rare cases where neuroblastoma runs in families due to a genetic mutation, but in most cases there is no known genetic cause.
Neuroblastoma is a very complex cancer and there are many different types that behave very differently. At one end of the spectrum are benign tumours that may even resolve spontaneously, while at the other end are aggressive tumours with an average survival rate of 40%.
The cure rate for these “high-risk” tumours has only improved marginally in recent years but there is clear hope that this rate will change with some new drug discoveries coming through.
We need to improve treatments so they are more effective and less toxic and the way to do this is through research.
Key statistics about Neuroblastoma
- Neuroblastoma claims more lives of children under the age of five than any other cancer.
- The average age of diagnosis is just two years old.
- The average five-year survival rate for aggressive neuroblastoma is only 50%.
- A third of the survivors of neuroblastoma have long-term side effects from the toxicity of their treatment. Side effects include hearing loss, infertility and an increased risk of getting a secondary cancer.
How your
fundraising helps
Your fundraising helps us raise much needed funds to support research for aggressive neuroblastoma cancer. It helps children like Lucy opposite.
You can read about Lucy’s story here and find out about our other Run2Cure Superheroes.
