3. Neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma describes a condition where your body’s nervous system experiences the development of immature neurons or cells in the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is the part of the CNS that’s responsible for the peripheral nervous system. The PNS carries messages from the brain to other regions of the body, and it’s accountable for maintaining the fight-or-flight response, as well as individual levels of hormones, and your heart rate.
The sympathetic nervous system will also maintain your blood pressure, control digestion, and it carries messages from the brain to numerous other regions of the body. When neuroblastoma develops in the PNS, it forms a solid tumor in the adrenal gland, pelvis, neck, abdomen, or chest. If left undiagnosed and untreated, the patient will experience the progression of the neuroblastoma into the bones, skin, and lymph nodes.
Neuroblastoma is a rare form of cancer, but it’s the most common type of cancer found in infants. Around 700-cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed every year in the US. Neuroblastoma may also lead to the onset of changes to thyroid hormone levels that result in the development of bulging eye syndrome.