Facial Swelling in a Toddler Due to a Metastatic High-Risk Neuroblastoma.

ABSTRACT

Neuroblastoma is a malignant embryonal tumor derived from the neural crest cells of the sympathetic nervous system. Curative therapy is challenging, especially because early-stage diagnosis in toddlers is difficult. Successful treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma is only achieved in approximately half of the cases and requires an immediate interdisciplinary approach. We present a 34-month-old toddler with swelling of the left side of the face of three days duration and a mandibular mass of unknown duration, which was diagnosed as a metastasis of a neuroblastoma. He also had metastases in the kidney, long bones and skull. Despite the poor prognosis in cases of disseminated skeletal involvement and N-myc amplification, the young patient remained free of recurrence during a follow-up period of 36 months after multidisciplinary treatment. The purpose of this case report is to increase awareness of the clinical features of neuroblastoma among pediatric dentists to support early-stage diagnosis and highlight interdisciplinary management.