Molecular genetic traits and risk factors for neuroblastoma

Abstract

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood, accounting for 815% of all malignant neoplasms in children. The uniqueness of the neuroblastoma etiology and pathogenesis creates significant difficulties for doctors due to the unpredictability of the course of the disease: the tumor can regress and lead to death in a short time, showing significant immunity to ongoing therapy. Early diagnosis of a tumor is necessary to understand the risk factors, the etiology, the mechanisms of neuroblastoma occurrence and further development. To date, a number of different risk factors have been identified, related both to genetic aspects and to aspects related to the course of pregnancy, birth and lifestyle of the childs parents. The list of these risk factors is still incomplete and research to identify new factors continues to this day. Morphological and molecular genetic diagnostics play an important role in this. Undifferentiated and low-differentiated variants of neuroblastoma are often associated with MYCN amplification and other chromosomal aberrations determined by molecular genetic research. Chromosomal instability plays an important role in the process of early tumor development, which probably causes the possibility of acquiring certain genetic changes, which also determines the prognosis and further therapeutic options. In this article, we have identified the most significant risk factors by comparing the results of various studies.