| | Neuroblastomas occur when normal fetal neuroblasts (immature nerve cells in the fetus) fail to mature into nerve cells or adrenal medulla cells (cells found in the center of the adrenal gland). Instead, neuroblasts continue to grow and divide.
Sometimes, babies are born with small masses of immature neuroblasts. Most of these masses eventually mature into nerve cells and do not become cancerous. Neuroblasts that remain in very young infants sometimes continue to grow and then form tumors, some of which will still mature into nerve tissue. However, as children age, these cells are more likely to become cancerous. These cells fail to mature because of DNA abnormalities.
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