Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for cancer patients has become widely accepted in general surgery, however, it has not completely replaced the standard open operative procedures in pediatric oncology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the host relationship following MIS in a murine model of retroperitoneal neuroblastoma (NB) Immature, 5- to 7-week-old male A/J mice weighing 18-23 g were inoculated with either C1300 or TBJ NB in the left retroperitoneal space. At 4 days (early stage) or 11 days (late stage) following tumor inoculation, the animals underwent a laparotomy or pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide under general inhalational anesthesia. Animal survival, tumor growth, and postoperative changes in body weight were observed. In the model of subcutaneous TBJ NB, distant metastases following the laparotomy or MIS technique were also evaluated. Each surgical group had a sample size > or = 12, and data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA and the chi-square test where appropriate. P < 0.05 was considered to be significant. There were no significant differences in animal survival, tumor growth, or distant metastases among surgical groups in any combination of type and stage of tumor. The only salutary influence of MIS was seen in a model of early-stage NB, where the decrease in body weight on postoperative day 7 was preserved when compared to post-laparotomy weight loss. We conclude that when compared to conventional laparotomy, the MIS access technique does not influence the outcome in a model of retroperitoneal murine NB.