Biology of Neuroblastomas in Japan Found by Screening

Abstract

Between June 1983 and December 1990, cytogenetic analysis was performed on 82 neuroblastoma patients, including 41 patients found by mass screening. The N-myc copy number was determined in 77 of the 82 patients. Patients were classified into three groups: patients found by mass screening (group A) (n = 41), patients found clinically who were under 12 months of age (group B) (n = 12), and patients found clinically who were over 12 months of age (group C) (n = 29). All patients in group A had hyperdiploid (H-2n) or near-triploid (3n) karyotypes; they were all completely free of tumor for 4-84 months after diagnosis, although one patient relapsed and attained complete remission again. Among those in group B, one patient with a stage 4 tumor had a near-diploid Karyotype (2n) and N-myc amplification, and died 18 months after diagnosis. Another patient aged 2 days with a stage 4S tumor had near-diploid karyotype and N-myc amplification, and died 9 months after diagnosis. Tumors in the remaining 18 patients in group B had hyperdiploid or near-triploid karyotypes, they lacked N-myc amplification, and the patients were free of tumor for 12-89 months after diagnosis. All patients in group C except two have near-diploid or hypotetraploid karyotypes, and 21 of 29 patients died within 18 months. One 13-month-old patient (classified in stage 2) and another 7-year-old patient (stage 2) had near-triploid karyotypes and were alive at 74 and 72 months, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)