Increased incidence of skull metastases in neuroblastoma
Alberts, A.S.; Weich, D.J.; Anderson, J.D.
South African Medical Journal 66(2): 62-63
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0256-9574 PMID: 6740426 Document Number: 236987
Children with neuroblastoma sometimes present with skull and peri-orbital metastases. Recent radionuclide studies confirm the increased incidence of skull metastases compared with adult metastatic carcinoma. Malignant tumours generate skeletal metastases by spread to the bone marrow. The relatively large head of a young child results in a relatively larger proportion of bone marrow in the skull, which explains the increased incidence of skull metastases in children with metastatic skeletal neuroblastoma.