[The place of surgery in the treatment of neuroblastoma]

From 1957 to 1980, 170 neuroblastoma were surgically approached: 3 cervical, 11 thoracic, 147 abdominal, 5 pelvic. The surgical data gathered from this large series leads us to assess that there are great differences between lateral and median neuroblastoma. Lateral ones can be surgically removed without major risk. Median ones arising from sympathetic nerves which depend on the aorta or on the visceral arteries (coeliac or mesenteric) cannot be removed totally without life-threatening risk. These data do not agree with Evans and d'Angio staging. Indeed, stage I and II are only observed in neuroblastomas developed on the lateral nerves of the sympathetic chain and can be removed. Stage III tumors can also be removed surgically when arising from a lateral site, even if they cross the median line. On the contrary all median perivascular neuroblastomas are to be staged III: total removal is not possible and the surgical risk is too high when compared with efficiency of chemotherapy. A special type, the distal perivascular neuroblastoma, is pointed out (5 cases). It is very important to precise exactly the initial localization of neuroblastoma, whatever be their metastatic extension. The new technics of investigation (C.T., ultrasonography, but also plain film and front and lateral views of intravenous pyelogram) allow to define precisely the median or lateral site of the tumor and also to choose between a non-surgical (median) or a surgical (lateral) treatment. This distinction seems in correlation with the two different ways of pathway of the embryonic neuroblast cells.