[Treatment of neuroblastoma: role of total body irradiation]

Advanced neuroblastoma, scarcely responsive to conventional therapies, can take advantage of high dose chemio-radiotherapic treatment followed by bone marrow transplant. Nineteen young patients underwent an ablative chemotherapy with high dose Vincristine and Melphalan plus Total Body Irradiation in Genoa, Italy; all of them underwent autologous bone marrow transplantation. Fourteen children were in complete remission (CR), 5 had residual disease. Thirteen are alive after a median of 7 months following transplant; 9 are in CR; 4 have disease; 1 died for toxicity; 5 for relapse. The results seem to suggest that ablative therapy should be given to patients in CR. Toxicity was not remarkable mainly as far as TBI is concerned.