Treatment involves surgery to remove the tumor (if it is causing symptoms).
Support Groups
Expectations (prognosis)
Most ganglioneuromas are noncancerous. The expected outcome is usually good. A ganglioneuroma may, however, become cancerous and spread to other areas, or it may come back after removal.
Complications
If the tumor has been present for a long time and has pressed on the spinal cord or caused other symptoms, surgery to remove the tumor may not necessarily reverse the damage.
Compression of the spinal cord may result in loss of movement (paralysis), especially if the cause is not detected promptly.
Surgery to remove the tumor may also lead to complications in some cases. However, rare, persistant problems due to compression may occur even after the tumor is removed.
Calling your health care provider
Call your health care provider if you or your child has symptoms that may be caused by this type of tumor.
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Review Date: 09/13/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of
Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology,
Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD,
MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
