Survival of High-Risk Pediatric Neuroblastoma Patients In a Developing Country

Little information is available about survival of high‐risk pediatric neuroblastoma patients in developing countries. We aimed to assess survival among high‐risk pediatric neuroblastoma patients in La Plata, Argentina. Individuals eligible for our cohort were aged4 yr at diagnosis, 54% were male, and 62% had adrenal neuroblastoma. We observed 18 deaths, and the median survival time of our study population was 1.7 yr. The five‐yr overall survival probability was 24% (95% CL: 10%, 41%). In contrast, five‐yr survival of high‐risk neuroblastoma patients ranges between 23% and 76% in developed countries. Survival among high‐risk neuroblastoma patients is generally poor regardless of geographic location, but our results illustrate dramatically worse survival for patients in a developing country. We speculate that the observed survival differences could be attenuated or eliminated with improvements in treatment and supportive care, but addressing these issues will require creative solutions because of resource limitations