[Neurosurgical aspects of the treatment of neuroblastoma patients]. / Neirokhirurgicheskie aspekty lecheniya bol'nykh s neiroblastomoi.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. The neoplasm grows from progenitor cells of the sympathetic nervous system and can be detected anywhere along the sympathetic neurological circuit: retroperitoneally, mediastinally, cervically, and pelvically. Examination of children with suspected neuroblastoma is comprehensive and performed in strict compliance with a therapeutic protocol. A decision on the treatment regimen is made based on the tumor staging and the risk group of the patient. The diagnosis and treatment of NB patients are comprehensive and can be fully carried out only at the pediatric oncology department. In 10-15% of cases, an hourglass tumor spreads to the intervertebral foramina or spinal canal at one or more levels. A tumor node is always located extradurally with respect to the spinal cord. Symptoms of spinal cord compression of various severity are observed in 5-7% of patients. We present several cases of patients with neuroblastoma with intraspinal extension. Despite apparent benefits of primary surgical decompression of the spinal cord, modern experience of treatment of children with intraspinal tumor extension does not reveal advantages of surgery over chemotherapy. Neurological disorders of various nature and severity persist in the majority of patients in the long-term period, regardless of primary treatment. A higher level of spinal deformities after surgical tumor resection is observed. The issue of spinal cord decompression should be discussed by the neurosurgeon and pediatric oncologist, and the most common method of choice may be chemotherapy. The article discusses the indications and contraindications for neurosurgical interventions in NB patients and addresses the issues of NB metastasis to the brain and cranial bones as well as the opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome.

[Thoracoscopic operations for neurogenic tumors in children].

AIM: To present an overall experience of endoscopic operations in children with neurogenic tumors in two medical institutions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thoracoscopic excision of tumors was performed in 19 children aged 1 month-7.5 years (mean 1.5 years) in two clinics for the period 2010-2014. In 9 children (47.3%) age did not exceed 1 year. In our study ganglioneuroma was diagnosed in 9 cases, ganglioneuroblastoma--in 2 patients, neuroblastoma stage I--in 8 cases. All patients were under observation and treated according to NB2004 protocol. Tumor's diameter ranged from 1 to 6 cm (mean 4.9±1.9 cm). Mean duration of surgery was 62±22 minutes. There were no any intraoperative complications. Early postoperative period in all patients after endoscopic surgery was more favorable than in those after open operations. Any local recurrences were not observed for the follow-up period. RESULTS: Thoracoscopic operations can become more preferable method in treatment of children with neurogenic tumors if great vessels are not involved into neoplastic process and limited volume of tumor is absent.