Can an adult have neuroblastoma?
Yes. However, less than 10 percent of all neuroblastomas are diagnosed in patients older than 10, so it is very rare to find in an adult. Adult neuroblastoma tends to have a slower rate of growth than in the pediatric population. Primary sites of disease are similar between both children and adults. Neuroblastoma in the adult is generally more resistant to chemotherapy. Treatment is aggressive and will often include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and autologous bone marrow transplantation. Biologic characteristics between adults and children with neuroblastoma are often different. For example, many adults will not have elevations in urinary catecholamines, and most will not have MYCN amplification.
