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Symptoms
Many conditions can cause the symptoms below, not just cancer. If your child has any of these symptoms and you are worried, talk to your child’s doctor. The earlier cancer is found, the better.
Symptoms of neuroblastoma include:
- lump or swelling in the belly, neck or chest, or under the skin
- stomach pain, feeling full or not wanting to eat, usually with weight loss
- swelling in the arms or legs (if a tumour is pressing on blood vessels or lymph vessels)
- problems going to the toilet (if the cancer grows into the bladder or bowel)
- bulging eyes, or dark circles around the eyes
- jerky, uncontrolled eye movements
- bone pain
- other unexplained pain
- weakness or paralysis (if the cancer is pressing on the nerves or spinal cord)
- trouble breathing or swallowing.
In some cases, neuroblastoma produces certain hormones that can cause:
- diarrhoea
- high blood pressure
- rapid heartbeat
- sweating
- flushing (blushing) of skin.
Most symptoms of neuroblastoma are caused when the cancer:
- grows into, or presses on, nearby tissues or organs
- spreads to parts of the body such as bones or bone marrow.