About Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer of the sympathetic nervous system - a nerve network that carries messages from the brain throughout the body. Each year there are about 100 new cases in the UK. It is usually found in young children, and is the most common cancer among infants. These solid tumours, which take the form of a lump or mass, normally begin in nerve tissues in the neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, or, most commonly, in the adrenal gland. They may also spread to other areas of the body, including bone and bone marrow.

The cause of Neuroblastoma is unknown, but most physicians believe that it is an accidental growth that occurs during normal development of the sympathetic nervous system.

Because the symptoms of the disease tend to be varied and vague, some two-thirds of children are not diagnosed until the disease is widespread. It is a tumour almost exclusively of childhood and there is no exact comparable tumour in an adult.

How does the immunotherapy treatment work?

Immunotherapy is used after tumours have been surgically removed, when the patient has only minimal disease left (in the bone marrow, for example)

This treatment is designed to train the body's own immune system to detect and destroy neuroblastoma cells that have survived chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The treatment involves the injection of a substance called monoclonal antibody 3F8 into the bloodstream. The antibodies seek out and attach to neuroblastoma cells and signal the immune system to destroy them.

The primary side effect of 3F8 treatment is a pain reaction requiring pain medications. Despite side effects that occur during 3F8 infusion, no long-term complications have been associated with these antibodies.

3F8 is part of Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s standard treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma and is only available at Memorial Sloan-Kettering.

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