Detection of N-myc gene amplification in bone marrow specimen of stage IV neuroblastoma patients.
N-myc gene amplification is an unfavorable prognostic factor in neuroblastoma; therefore, its detection might have therapeutical consequences. Because of the reliability of noninvasive diagnostic methods such as X-ray examination and measurement of vanilymandelic acid and the lack of technical unavailability at most institutions, the determination of the N-myc status of neuroblastoma often is not done. In our investigation of 14 neuroblastoma patients, we could demonstrate N-myc gene amplification in the bone marrow of 5 patients with neuroblastoma stage IV disease and in bone marrow infiltration without enrichment of neuroblastoma cells. Otherwise, no information about the tumor content of N-myc gene copies at the time of initial diagnosis could be obtained. At the subsequent resection, the N-myc gene amplification was confirmed by the additional Southern blot analysis and in situ hybridization of tumor tissue. Furthermore, the N-myc status of bone marrow was analyzed during the stages of chemotherapy in three cases.
Brack
T
T
Children's Hospital, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hamburg, Germany.
Scholz
R B
RB
Milde-Langosch
K
K
Heinsohn
S
S
Löning
T
T
Kabisch
H
H
D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D005784:Gene Amplification / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics; D016259:Genes, myc / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm