Sub-classifying Neuroblastoma: A Comparative Study of Clinical Characteristics and Survival Outcomes in Neuroblastoma and Ganglioneuroblastoma

Abstract

AbstractObjective:Neuroblastoma (NB) and Ganglioneuroblastoma (GNB) are the most common extracranial solid tumors in children, with different clinicopathological features and survival outcomes. The aim of this study is to compare the demographic, clinical features, and survival outcomes of patients with NB and GNB.Method:We retrospectively extracted data from patients with NB and GNB from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2004 and 2019. We analyzed the demographic and clinical characteristics using Pearson’s chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test. Kaplan-Meier curves were utilized to compare cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) among different subgroups. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate the independent prognostic factors for CSS and OS.Results:A total of 1,968 patients under 14 years of age were included in this study, of whom 1,609 (81.7%) were diagnosed with NB and 359 (19.3%) with GNB. The majority of GNB patients were over 2 years old (83.57%), while most NB patients were under 2 years old (58.42%). Survival analysis revealed that the OS of GNB patients was superior to that of NB patients. In addition, multivariate Cox regression analysis identified chemotherapy and tumor site as independent prognostic factors for GNB patients, while age, surgery, chemotherapy, tumor size, and tumor site were independent prognostic factors for NB patients.Conclusions:This study provides insights into the significant differences between NB and GNB in terms of demographic, clinical features, and survival outcomes. Our findings have important implications for informing clinical decision-making and providing more targeted therapeutic options for patients with these tumors. Further studies are necessary to validate our findings and explore the underlying biological mechanisms.