Childhood tumor

The initial symptoms of neuroblastoma are atypical, making early diagnosis difficult. Common symptoms include fatigue, decreased appetite, fever, and joint pain. The symptoms caused by tumors depend on the organ in which the tumor is located and whether metastasis has occurred.

Neuroblastoma in the abdominal cavity generally manifests as abdominal swelling and constipation; Thoracic neuroblastoma generally manifests as dyspnea; Spinal cord neuroblastoma generally manifests as decreased strength in the trunk and limbs, and patients often have difficulties standing and walking; Neuroblastomas in the legs and hips can manifest as bone pain and claudication; The destruction of bone marrow can make the patient's skin pale due to anemia. Most neuroblastomas (50-60%) have undergone extensive metastasis before presenting with clinical manifestations. The most common site of primary neuroblastoma is the adrenal gland (approximately 40%); Other primary organs include the neck (1%), chest (19%), abdominal cavity (30%), and pelvic cavity (1%). There are also some rare cases where the primary lesion cannot be found. Rare but characteristic clinical manifestations include spinal cord transection (spinal cord compression, accounting for 5%), refractory diarrhea (tumor secreting vasoactive intestinal peptide, accounting for 4%), Horner's syndrome (neck tumor, accounting for 2.4%), ataxia (caused by tumor paracrine secretion, accounting for 1.3%), and hypertension (renal artery compression or catecholamine secretion, accounting for 1.3%).