Pathogenesis (disease development)
Neuroblastoma develops from immature neural cells in neurons of the sympathetic nervous system and in the adrenal gland. In a proportion of cases, the n-myc oncogene is amplified (multiplied).
Etiology (Causes)
The etiology is still unknown.
Biographic causes
- Genetic burden from parents, grandparents (very rare).
- Genetic risk depending on gene polymorphisms:
- Genes/SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism):
- Genes: BARD1
- SNP: rs6435862 in the gene BARD1
- Allele constellation: GT (1.7-fold).
- Allele constellation: GG (2.8-fold)
- Genes/SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism):
- Smoking during pregnancy
- Mothers of ill children were more likely to have smoked during pregnancy than controls (24.1 vs 19.7%; odds ratio [OR] 1.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.9-1.7); when a meta-analysis was included, the data were just significant (OR 1.1; 95% CI 1.0-1.3)
- If both parents had smoked during pregnancy (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-2.1).
- Genetic risk depending on gene polymorphisms:
