Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that affects young children and infants. It is a cancer that is associated with nerve tissue. Cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in any area of the body. Cancer cells tend to adversely affect the organ within or on which they occur. The cancer tumor tends to spread to other parts of the body as the disease progresses. It generally begins in a location around the abdomen or the spinal column. When it spreads, it affects nearly all parts of the body. The diagnosis of neuroblastoma usually occurs after the cancer has spread across the body.
There are several different symptoms associated with neuroblastoma. These include inflammation in the abdomen, pain in the bones, breathing trouble, pale skin and an excessively high heart rate.
Urine is a waste product that is released from the body periodically. Being liquid, it tends to contain a large amount of water. Urine is also full of toxins and waste materials that have been filtered from the blood in the kidneys. The kidneys deposit these wastes into the urinary bladder where they are collected before evacuation. A urine test is a test conducted on the chemical composition of urine which is used to analyze the makeup of urine. This test is able to diagnose the presence of various chemicals including banned substances or waste products that are a result of metabolism. Urine also contains traces of diseases or infections and may also contain parts of damaged cells that are caused by infections or diseases.
For neuroblastoma, a urine test may be used in order to search for homovanillic acid, vanillymandelic acid or catecholamines. These are all present in the urine of an individual suffering from neuroblastoma. The test is conducted by collecting urine using the 24 hour urine test. This test requires urination in the morning into a container and subsequently throughout the day. Urine collected in this way is stored in a cold environment such as a refrigerator. Urine is collected all the way till the next morning's first urination. The samples are then sent to a laboratory where they are analyzed in order to detect the various different elements that may be present and that may point to the patient suffering from neuroblastoma. A urine test for neuroblastoma is an effective and easy method of catching the disease following which treatment options could be explored.