Neuroblastoma in the newborn. A study of the Italian Neuroblastoma Registry

Aim: Presenting features, treatment and outcome of 134 newborns with neuroblastoma diagnosed over a 27-year period are described. Methods: Analyses were performed on the entire cohort and on patients distributed over three periods of diagnosis. Results: Twenty-seven tumours (20.1%) were detected prenatally. Localised disease prevailed (65.7%) with an increase of stage 1 patients over time from 18.8% to 46.5%. Disseminated disease accounted for 34.3% of tumours with only one stage 4 and 45 stage 4S. Fiveyear overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was 88.3%. Five/88 patients with localised disease died, including three who died of complications (OS, 95.3%). The only stage 4 patient survived. Eleven/45 stage 4S patients died, including 7/18 symptomatic and 4/27 asymptomatic (OS, 74.1%). Conclusion: The outcome of neuroblastoma in newborns is excellent. In localised tumours, surgery-related deaths outnumbered deaths due to disease. Symptomatic stage 4S patients were at greater risk of dying.