Neuroblastoma Survival Rates by Risk Group

Survival rates are a way to get an idea of the outlook for children with a certain type of cancer. They can’t tell you for sure if treatment will be successful, but they may help give you a better understanding of how likely this is.

What is a 5-year survival rate?

The 5-year survival rate refers to the percentage of children who live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. Of course, many children live much longer than 5 years (and many are cured).

To get 5-year survival rates, doctors have to look at children who were treated at least 5 years ago. Improvements in treatment since then may result in a better outlook for children now being diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

Survival rates are based on previous outcomes of large numbers of people who had the disease, but they can't predict what will happen in any particular child’s case.

The survival rates below are based on the risk group of the child’s cancer. The risk group, in turn, is based on the stage (extent) of the cancer, as well as other prognostic factors (such as the child’s age). But other factors can also affect a child’s outlook, such as the location of the tumor and how well the cancer responds to treatment. Your child’s doctor can tell you how the numbers below might apply to your child, as he or she knows your situation best.

Survival by Children’s Oncology Group (COG) risk group

• Low-risk group: Children in the low-risk group have a 5-year survival rate that is higher than 95%.
• Intermediate-risk group: Children in the intermediate-risk group have a 5-year survival rate of around 90% to 95%.
• High-risk group: Children in the high-risk group have a 5-year survival rate of around 50%.