Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Neuroblastoma in an adult with a high serum level of carbohydrate antigen, CA125: Report of a case

  • Case Reports
  • Published:
Surgery Today Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We report herein the case of a 56-year-old woman with a neuroblastoma associated with a high serum level of carbohydrate antigen, CA125. The patient presented with massive ascites and a firm mass in her upper abdomen for which a laparotomy was performed. However, a recurrent tumor was found 6 months later and she died of the disease within 1 year of surgery despite several courses of adjuvant chemotherapy. Neuroblastoma rarely occurs in adults, and the features of 58 adult cases described in the world literature is summarized following the presentation of the clinical data on this case. The distribution of primary sites in adults is dispersed compared to that seen in pediatric cases, while the natural history of the disease in adults may be longer and less sensitive to chemotherapy than in children. The survival rate of adults with this disease is poor. We conclude that aggressive surgical intervention combined with appropriate chemotherapy protocols as applied in children should be performed in an attempt to achieve complete remission and improve the survival rate of adults with neuroblastoma.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Report of the Malignant Tumor Committee of Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons (1996) Surgical malignant tumors in child, analysis of the cases registered and collected from nation wide group in 1994 (in Japanese). Nippon Shonigeka Gakkai Zasshi (J Jpn Soc Pediatr Surg) 32:88–114

  2. Dosik GM, Rodriguez V, Benjamin RS, P Bodey GP (1978) Neuroblastoma in the adult. Effective combination chemotherapy. Cancer 41:56–63

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kinnier Wilson LM, Draper GJ (1974) Neuroblastoma. Its natural history and prognosis: a study of 487 cases. Br Med J 3:301–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kaye JA, Warhol MJ, Kretschmar C, Landsberg L, Frei E (1986) Neuroblastoma in adults. Three case reports and a review of the literature. Cancer 58:1149–1157

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Evans AE, D’Angio GJ, Randolph J (1971) A proposed staging for children with neuroblastoma: Children’s Cancer Study Group A. Cancer 27:374–378

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kaneko M, Sawada A, Tsuchida Y (1991) The international neuroblastoma definitions (in Japanese). Nippon Shonigan Gakkai Zasshi (Jpn J Pediatr Oncol) 28:727–731

    Google Scholar 

  7. Campbell LA, Seeger RC, Harris RE, Villablanca JG, Matthay KK (1993) Escalating dose of continuous infusion combination chemotherapy for refractory neuroblastoma. J Clin Oncol 11(4):623–629

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Tsuchida Y, Yokoyama J, Kaneko M, Uchino J, Iwafuchi M, Makino S, Matsuyama S, Takahashi H, Okabe I, Hashizume K, Hayashi A, Nakada K, Yokoyama S, Nishihira H, Sasaki S, Sawada T, Nagahara N, Okada A (1992) Therapeutic significance of surgery in advanced neuroblastoma: A report from the Study Group of Japan. J Pediatr Surg 27:616–622

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Allan SG, Cornbleet MA, Carmichael J, Arnott SJ, Smyth JF (1986) Adult neuroblastoma. Cancer 57:2419–2421

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Kratimenos GP, Crockard HA (1993) Cavernous sinus neuroblastoma. Br J Neurosurg 7:691–696

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Baker DC, Perzin KH, Conley J (1979) Olfactory neuroblastoma. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 87:279–283

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Ogiwara T, Sugita R, Ishi K (1990) Olfactory neuroblastoma; A case report (in Japanese with English abstract). Jibiinkokarinsho (Pract Otol) 83:1521–1526

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kadish S (1976) Olfactory neuroblastoma. Cancer 37:1571–1576

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ohashi K, Sawada H, Kanaizumi T, Nakano H, Okamoto S, Maruyama H, Tsutsumi M, Konishi Y (1993) Adult neuroblastoma in pregnancy: report of a case. Surg Today 23:742–746

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Askin FB, Rossai J, Sibley RK, Dehner LP, McAlister WH (1979) Malignant small cell tumor of the thoracopulmonary region in childhood: a distinctive clinicopathologic entity of uncertain histogenesis. Cancer 43:2438–2451

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Dehner LP (1993) Primitive neuroectodermal tumor and Ewing’s sarcoma. Am J Surg Pathol 17:1–13

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Haase GM, O’Leary MC, Ramsay NK, Romansky SG, Stram DO, Seeger RC, Hammond GD (1991) Aggressive surgery combined with intensive chemotherapy improves survival in poor-risk neuroblastoma. J Pediatr Surg 26:1119–1124

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Castleberry RP, Cantor AB, Green AA, Joshi V, Berkow RL, Buchanan GR, Leventhal B, Mahoney DH, Smith EI, Hayers FA (1994) Phase II investigational window using carboplatin, iproplatin, ifosfamide, and epirubicin in children with untreated disseminated neuroblastoma: a Pediatric Oncology Group Study. J Clin Oncol 12:1616–1620

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Tsuchida Y, Kamii Y, Honna T, Bessho F (1995) Surgical treatment of advanced neuroblastoma (in Japanese with English abstract). Shonigeka (Jpn J Pediatr Surg) 27:549–556

    Google Scholar 

  20. Castleberry RP, Kun LE, Shuster JJ, Altshuler G, Smith IE, Nitschke R, Wharam M, McWilliams N, Joshi V, Hayers FA (1991) Radiotherapy improves the outlook for patients older than 1 year with Pediatric Oncology Group stage C neuroblastoma. J Clin Oncol 9:789–795

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Matthay KK, Sather HN, Seeger RC, Haase GM, Hammond GD (1989) Excellent outcome of stage II neuroblastoma is independent of residual disease and radiation therapy. J Clin Oncol 7:236–244

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Asahi General Hospital, 477 Tomari, 939-07, Asahi, Toyama, Japan

    Shinichiro Hirokawa, Iwao Yamashita & Yoshito Kuroki

  2. Second Department of Surgery, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630 Sugitani, 930-01, Toyama, Japan

    Yoshiro Yamashita & Masao Fujimaki

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Asahi General Hospital, 477 Tomari, 939-07, Asahi, Toyama, Japan

    Keiichi Aoyama & Jun Murakami

Authors
  1. Shinichiro Hirokawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Iwao Yamashita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yoshito Kuroki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yoshiro Yamashita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Masao Fujimaki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Keiichi Aoyama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jun Murakami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hirokawa, S., Yamashita, I., Kuroki, Y. et al. Neuroblastoma in an adult with a high serum level of carbohydrate antigen, CA125: Report of a case. Surg Today 28, 349–354 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s005950050139

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s005950050139

Key Words

Search

Navigation