Local control of the primary tumour in metastatic neuroblastoma.

The previous studies have stressed on the importance of loco-regional control in the management of high-risk neuroblastoma. We searched the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End-Results (SEER) database for patients older than 2years with metastatic neuroblastoma who were diagnosed from 1998 to 2005. We identified 291 patients (mean age, 4.35years). The 5-year survival estimate was 53.2%+/-6.4% for patients who had complete resection of their primary tumours (n=116) and 35.7%+/-4.7% for patients who did not have complete resection (p=0.003). External-beam radiotherapy did not affect survival (p=0.79); this finding has to be taken with caution due to the study limitations.