Retropharyngeal neuroblastoma in a neonate: case report and literature review

Abstract

Primary cervical neuroblastoma (NB) in neonates is extremely rare. We treated a 1-day-old male neonate who presented with stridor and feeding difficulty and was subsequently diagnosed with NB of the retropharynx. The tumor was excised in toto transorally, and no metastatic lesions were confirmed. Histopathology and molecular genetic analysis showed poorly differentiated NB with no N-myc amplification, stage I NB. He has had no signs of recurrence or adverse sequelae during 18 months of follow-up. We report our experience and review the literature.

Primary Retropharyngeal Neuroblastoma in an Infant: A Case Report with Literature Review

“…Retropharyngeal neuroblastomas in infant were also documented in only small case reports (1)(2)(3). We report a case of primary retropharyngeal neuroblastoma with an ipsilateral lymph node metastasis manifesting as a growing neck mass in the retropharyngeal space in an 11-month old infant.…”

“…Although neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor in childhood, primary cervical neuroblastoma is infrequent, accounting for between 2 and 6% of all neuroblastomas (1). Retropharyngeal neuroblastomas in infant were also documented in only small case reports (1)(2)(3).…”

Estridor inspiratorio en neonato por neuroblastoma cervical. Descripción de un caso

“…Sin embargo, el neuroblastoma cervical primario es raro, representando entre el 2% y el 6% de todos los neuroblastomas. El neuroblastoma cervical habitualmente se presenta con estridor, disnea y dificultad para la deglución [3].…”

Excision of ganglioneuroma from skull base to aortic arch

“…Although we and others have used thoracoscopy for high thoracic lesions without significant vessel encasement, surgical approaches to encasing cervicothoracic tumors typically use varieties of trapdoor incision [5]. In contrast, more cephalad retropharyngeal tumors have been accessed transorally and/or cervically in children with similar approaches used for uncommon tumors of the adult retropharynx [3,6]. We report a case of ganglioneuroma bridging these territories that extended from skull base to aortic arch but was nevertheless amenable to macroscopic clearance via an extended trapdoor incision at a single surgery and without need for covering tracheostomy.…”

“…Neuroblastoma has been reported in nasopharyngeal or cervicothoracic regions in neonates and young children; ganglioneuroma at these locations appears rarer [1][2][3][4]. Cervicothoracic neuroblastic lesions typically encase the ipsilateral vertebral and subclavian arteries and may present with Horner's syndrome.…”