Blastoma is a type of tumor that originates in embryonic tissue and is common in childhood cancer. Specific types include medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, and pleuropulmonary blastoma, with varying symptoms and treatments. Common childhood cancers also include retinoblastoma, nephroblastoma, and hepatoblastoma.
A blastoma is the generic name for any tumor that originates in embryonic tissue and thus typically indicates childhood cancer. The term blastoma is usually included as part of the full medical name of a specific tumor, such as in medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, or pleuropulmonary blastoma. The symptoms, recommended treatments, and prognosis or expected medical outcome of a blastoma vary depending on the specific type and location of the tumor.
The term blastoma appears in the medical names of a wide variety of childhood cancers. Glioblastoma and medulloblastoma refer to brain tumors. Hepatoblastoma is a cancer of the liver, while nephroblastoma is a cancer that affects the kidneys. Pleuropulmonary blastoma is a rare type of cancer that affects the lungs. Other common childhood cancers include retinoblastoma, which affects the eyes; neuroblastoma, which originates in the adrenal glands or related parts of the nervous system; and osteoblastoma, which is a benign tumor found in bone tissue.
Medulloblastoma is a childhood cancer that begins in the cerebellum, which is located in the lower part of the brain, and could potentially metastasize along the spine or to specific bones. This type of cancer can usually be treated with radiation therapy and surgery and is sometimes treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. The prognosis tends to be good, with as many as 50% of cases in remission 10 years after the condition is diagnosed.
Neuroblastoma, which is a cancer that affects the adrenal glands and nervous system, is the most common non-brain tumor in children and infants. Symptoms of this condition can include dark circles around the eyes or bulging eyeballs, and paralysis is possible if the tumor compresses the spinal cord. In a high percentage of cases, neuroblastoma tumors are not diagnosed until they have metastasized; the condition is frequently present at birth but not recognized until later in infancy or childhood.
Retinoblastoma is a cancer that originates in the cells of the retina, which is the part of the eye that detects light. This type of cancer can be either hereditary, in which case it is evident at birth by the presence of tumors in both eyes, or sporadic, which occurs later in childhood and usually affects only one eye. A child with hereditary retinoblastoma is more likely to develop tumors elsewhere in the body as a teenager or adult. This condition usually occurs in children under the age of 5. The most common symptoms include white pupil, crossed eyes or “lazy eye”, loss of central vision or glaucoma.
Both nephroblastoma and hepatoblastoma are often indicated by abdominal swelling, caused by the presence of a tumor in the kidney or liver. Nephroblastoma is also called a Wilms tumor, after the surgeon who first discovered it. It is the most common malignant tumor of the kidneys in children.
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