______- malignant tumor of the adrenal gland found in young children.

• A. Neuroblastoma
• B. Adrenocortical carcinoma
• C. Pheochromocytoma
• D. Wilms tumor

Answer: (A)

Neuroblastoma arises from neural crest cells of the sympathetic nervous system and most often originates in the adrenal medulla. This combination—malignant tumor in the adrenal gland occurring in young children—fits perfectly, making it the classic pediatric adrenal malignancy. It’s the most common malignant tumor of the adrenal gland in children, typically presenting before age 5 as an abdominal mass and sometimes with symptoms from catecholamine excess. Urinary metabolites like vanillylmandelic acid and homovanillic acid may be elevated, and imaging often shows calcifications within the tumor.

Pheochromocytoma can involve the adrenal medulla but is much rarer in children. Adrenocortical carcinoma comes from the adrenal cortex and is less common in kids, sometimes causing hormonal symptoms. Wilms tumor is a kidney tumor, not adrenal, even though it can present as an abdominal mass near the kidney.