Epidemiology

Neuroblastoma accounts for nearly 8% of all childhood malignancies and is the most common solid tumour in children not arising from the brain.[10][11]

In the US, incidence is approximately 8 per million persons (based on 2003-2019 data).[12]​ About 800 new cases are reported each year; median age at diagnosis is 17 months.​[12] ACS: key statistics about neuroblastoma Opens in new window​​​ The majority of neuroblastoma cases occur in children ≤4 years of age (34% in children <1 year; 49.9% in those aged 1-4 years).[12]

While overall incidence of neuroblastoma appears to be stable in the US, small but significant increases in annual incidence have been reported among children aged 5-9 years and adolescents aged 15-19 years (average annual percent change [AAPC] 2.4% and 3.3%, respectively; 2003-2019 data).[12]

Rarely, neuroblastoma can be detected by ultrasound before birth.

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