Who is affected by neuroblastoma? 

Neuroblastoma is a rare childhood cancer. Around 100 children are diagnosed with it in the UK each year. This represents roughly 6 out of every 100 childhood cancer diagnoses. 

Most children diagnosed are under the age of five. Neuroblastoma mainly affects very young children because it develops from immature nerve cells (neuroblasts) formed during early development.

• Around 9 in 10 children diagnosed are under five years old. 

• It is much less common in older children, teenagers, and adults. 

Neuroblastoma can affect both boys and girls. There is a slightly higher number of diagnoses in boys, but the difference is small. 

Different risk groups 

Among the children diagnosed each year in the UK: 

• About half will have low‑risk or intermediate‑risk neuroblastoma 

• About half will have high‑risk neuroblastoma 

Risk groups help doctors understand how the cancer is behaving and what treatment is needed. They do not describe who is more likely to develop neuroblastoma. 

Read more about the different risk groups for neuroblastoma. 

It is not known why some children develop neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma develops by chance and is not caused by anything parents or carers did or did not do. It does not run in families, except in extremely rare inherited cases.