What causes neuroblastoma?

Neuroblastoma is a rare but serious form of cancer that affects young children. This nerve tissue tumor arises from the specialized cells that make up the sympathetic nervous system, which controls several involuntary body functions, such as blood pressure and digestion. Although it can occur in many parts of the body, neuroblastoma often starts in the adrenal glands above the kidneys or in nerve clusters along the spinal cord.

In this article, we will take you on a wild ride through the twisted roads of what causes neuroblastoma, exploring some weird and wonderful theories along the way.

What is Neuroblastoma?

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty stuff, let’s get our basics right. So what exactly is neuroblastoma? Well first off– it’s not your average Joe kind of cancer! Here are some quick facts:

  • It usually occurs in infants and young children under five years old
  • It’s quite rare – only about 700 kids are diagnosed with it each year!
  • Most cases appear to be sporadic (meaning no clear cause), although genetics may play a role
  • Symptoms depend on location and extent of tumors but might include abdominal distension or lumps/swelling felt under skin

Now onto more important stuff –– let’s explore those wacky causes behind this rogue entity!

Genetic Predisposition

The scientific consensus suggests that genetic predisposition plays an essential part in determining who gets neuroblastomas. Some abnormalities have been noted to result when certain chromosomes lose pieces during cell division causing problems for neural crest cells’ transition as they move throughout their early developmental stages [Oh snap!]. These changes can activate proto-oncogenes (genes associated with controlling cell division) within these immature neuron-like structure — signaling chemical cascades leading to uncontrolled growth-forming clonally expanded cell masses: Neuroblastomas.

A study, conducted on families with a history of neuroblastoma diagnosed in their children, found that certain genetic changes or mutations might increase the risk of developing this tumor (Church et al., 2019). So if your family has a history of neuroblastoma… keep an eye out for any weird bulges or just hope it is not you!

Environmental Triggers

Neuroblastoma doesn’t appear to be completely caused by genetics alone – there are some environmental factors too. Some research suggests radiation exposure may trigger tumors and could cause structural abnormalities like chromosomal damage [Ouch!].

The chemicals present in our daily life such as pesticides, insecticides or polycyclic hydrocarbons have been identified to impact neural development during early embryonic stages increasing susceptibility towards developing the tumor later in life [Geez,Louise]. These agents can induce DNA damage leading to abnormal cellular growth patterns within neural crest cells during fetal development.

Certain medical procedures/treatments –such as chemotherapy- also expose patients vulnerable to undergoing treatment at heightened risk and researchers speculate that rare inherited DNA repair pathway differences may increase one’s perceivable adaptation/pleiotropic interaction potential downstream from these exposures…. resulting commonly would lead to several other unrelated side effects!

Age-Related Risk Factors

Some age-related factors could give rise to neuroblastomas; Generally speaking, infants younger than 1 year old have the highest incidence rate and typically experience a better prognosis for spontaneous regression compared even slightly older peers under 5 years old [odds seem stacked kiddos] . This finding suggests that infants’ immature nervous system might play a role in tumor onset through increased developmental aberrations prone across infancy.

While adult-onset cases do exist though substantially less common only about ~6% arise after the first decade — often presenting different clinical symptoms/survival profiles.

Role of Cell Destiny

If our genes are the recipe for life, then our cellular regulators and destiny might hold the key to understanding this tumor’s origins. To better understand these controversies may be helpful to consider bio-molecular components at play here — neural crest derivatives are a specialized embryonic cell population capable of giving rise primarily to peripheral nervous system-like structures like cranial neurons/enteric ganglia [yikes!]

Certain signaling molecules expressed during early development dictate what type of tissue they will become; In some instances, Neuroblastoma tumors originate from immature developing neural crest cells, somewhere along their migratory path as something goes awry in their fashion or processing (Joshi et al., 2018) [Into the Wild blue yonder indeed].

Abnormal Oncogenic Pathways

Oncogenes are proteins known for activating growth signals driving unregulated cell proliferation: many genetic mutations causing cancer activate oncogenes found in pathways responsible for cell cycle progression/differentiation – allowing aberrant mass formation occurring unchecked!

Studies have shown that activation of MYCN oncogene expression increases neuroblastoma tumor aggressiveness/progression potential ([Moore AS et al., Nature Reviews Cancer: 20,2020] ).. (OhNo!) Alternatively other possible drives could include chromosomal abnormality as characterized by anomalies such as gain/Loss copy number within chromosomes undergoing altered numbers can come into play resulting perhaps in those initial random ‘causative’ genomic alterations leading towards ultimate clonal expansion proliferation patterns seen within critical developmental stages preceding cortical neuronal branching!

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And there we have it guys –quite an adventure navigating those crazy mechanisms behind neuroblastoma – but don’t worry;
we made it through together….Kinda like surviving a roller-coaster ride with friends… now let’s promptly exit before you throw up your cotton-candy.

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