Treatment of Non–High-Risk Neuroblastoma

Approximately one-half of all newly diagnosed patients with neuroblastoma have non–high-risk disease (i.e., low and intermediate risk).[1] Since these patients have excellent survival, with 5-year survival rates higher than 95% for patients with low-risk disease and between 90% and 95% for patients with intermediate-risk disease, the goal of therapy for these patients is to cure the disease with minimal toxicity.

The staging system, risk classification system, and response criteria definitions for neuroblastoma have evolved over the past 20 years. As a result, published results from clinical trials for patients with non–high-risk neuroblastoma from the past used different staging systems (International Neuroblastoma Staging System) and response criteria or protocol-specific response criteria, making it difficult to compare trial results.