title: Comparison of the diagnostic and prognostic value of biological markers in neuroblastoma. Proposal for a common methodology of analysis. SENSE group.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prognosis of pediatric neuroblastoma depends both on clinical presentation and on certain cellular and molecular characteristics. Screening programs have been initiated in infants of less than one year of age, based on the hypothesis that neuroblastoma progresses from early to late clinical stages through a classical multistep process linked to an accumulation of molecular abnormalities. However, recent analyses suggest that most cases discovered by screening are low stage tumors considered as dysembryogenetic residues devoid from major abnormalities and that high-grade tumors with molecular abnormalities are unrelated diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To confirm one or the other hypothesis, and eventually identify biological factors possibly responsible for the initiation and progression of the disease, it is of utmost importance that all investigators agree on biological criteria for analysis when neuroblastoma tissue is available in screened and unscreened populations. This paper reviews the biological tools available for prognosis in neuroblastoma, the priority for analysis of biological markers according to both methodological reliability and feasibility, and the conditions of tissue storage for further analysis of these biological markers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The standardized biological evaluation of neuroblastoma will allow to collect sufficient data for multivariate analysis; such analysis is now fundamental if one wants to clearly define the respective impacts of biological abnormalities on neuroblastoma progression.
authors.affiliation: Tumor Biology Department, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Favrot
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ambros
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Frappaz
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Combaret
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berthold
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dominici
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Erttmann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Esteve
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jenkner
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kerbl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Philip
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor