Neuroblastoma: influence of age at diagnosis, stage, tumor site, and sex on prognosis.

A study of a consecutive series of 99 children with neuroblastoma seen at two major Toronto hospitals between 1951 and 1971 is reported. The children who were aged 24 months or less at diagnosis showed an overall two-year survival rate of 59 percent. Analysis, including fitting of a log-linear model, showed that increased probability of survival was associated with younger age at onset, nonadrenal site, and lower staging and the each of these factors acted independently. The sex of the child had no prognostic effect. This study thus extends earlier work by demonstrating the independent prognostic influence of site of tumor. The implications for treatment policy are discussed.