Last updated: 02/17/2009

Neuroblastoma is one of the few cancer types known to secrete hormones. It occurs most often in children, and it is the third most common cancer that occurs in children. In the united States, approximately 7.5% of the childhood cancers diagnosed in...

2001 were neuroblastomas, affecting one in 80,000 to 100,000 children. Close to 50% of cases of neuroblastoma occur in children younger than two years old. The disease is sometimes present at birth, but is usually not noticed until later. Approximately one-third of neuroblastomas start in the adrenal glands. According to some reports, African-American children develop the disease at a slightly higher rate than Caucasian children (8.7 per million compared to 8.0 per million cases diagnosed).