title: Detection of N-myc gene amplification in bone marrow specimen of stage IV neuroblastoma patients.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brack
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Milde-Langosch
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heinsohn
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Löning
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kabisch
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm