Neuroblastoma (
NB) is the most common extracranial solid
cancer in childhood and the most common cancer in infancy, with an incidence of about 650 cases per year in the U.S., and 100 cases per year in the UK. Nearly half of neuroblastoma cases occur in children younger than two years. It is a
neuroendocrine tumor, arising from any
neural crest element of the
sympathetic nervous system (SNS). It most frequently originates in one of the
adrenal glands, but can also develop in nerve tissues in the
neck,
chest,
abdomen, or
pelvis.