Objective: To study the significance of preoperative chemotherapy for the treatment of neurogenic tumor in children. Methods: VMA, MYCN gene and DNA content of 21 cases of neuroblastoma treated with preoperative chemotherapy were studied with a control group. Results: Resection rate was 95.5%. Mean survival time was 28.1±10.2 months, which was significantly higher than the control group (8.8±6.8 months, P＜0.01).Post chemotherapeutic VMA was lower. DNA index was also reduced and the percentage of cells in G0+G1 phases was elevated. The MYCN expression was suppressed.Conclusion: Preoperative chemotherapy can induce the apoptosis of neurogenic tumor cells and inhibit its proliferative activity.