Doctors can examine urine samples to see if they contain chemicals that are typically excreted by people with neuroblastoma. The doctor may perform a computed tomography (CT) scan to create pictures of the cancer. In CT imaging, a scanner moves around the body taking hundreds of X-ray images, which a computer then combines to make a three-dimensional image of the inside of the body. Sometimes a special dye is injected to help provide better detail. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, a diagnostic test that uses magnetic waves to create pictures of the body, may also be done.
The physician may perform a biopsy, in which tissue from the tumor or the bone marrow is removed and examined under a microscope for evidence of neuroblastoma cells. The doctor may surgically remove tissue or extract it using a needle.
