title: Clinical relevance of TRKA expression on neuroblastoma: comparison with N-MYC amplification and CD44 expression.
abstract: TRKA expression was evaluated on 122 untreated neuroblastomas by immunohistochemistry using an antibody with predetermined specificity. This procedure is simple and reliable for protein detection at cellular level in a routine clinical setting. Fourteen tumours were classified as benign ganglioneuroma with a restricted expression of TRKA on ganglion cells; these patients were excluded from the following analysis. A total of 108 tumours were classified as neuroblastoma or ganglioneuroblastoma; 74 expressed TRKA protein, which strongly correlated with low stage, absence of N-MYC amplification, age (<1 year), CD44 expression and favourable clinical outcome. In a univariate analysis including tumour stage, age, histology, N-MYC amplification, CD44 and TRKA expression, all parameters had significant prognostic value. The absence of TRKA expression on CD44-positive or N-MYC non-amplified tumours permits the characterization of a subgroup of patients with intermediate prognosis. However, in a multivariate analysis taking into consideration the prognostic factors mentioned above, CD44 and tumour stage were the only independent prognostic factors for the prediction of patients' event-free survival.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biologie des Tumeurs, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Combaret
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lasset
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Balmas
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bouvier
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Frappaz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beretta-Brognara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Philip
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Favrot
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Coll
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005729:Ganglioneuroma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005784:Gene Amplification; D016259:Genes, myc / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007223:Infant; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020917:Receptor, trkA; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D020917:Receptor, trkA