title: The relationship between homovanillic/vanillylmandelic acid ratios and prognosis in neuroblastoma.
abstract: A total of 44 cases with neuroblastoma cases (excluding true positive cases detected in mass screenings) who were born from 1979 to 1991, and had data concerning the clinical stage and values of vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) at diagnosis (microg/mg creatinine) were followed up until the end of 1994. Deaths were confirmed using the record of vital statistics of the Hokkaido Government. The 60-month survival rate of those who had an HVA/VMA ratio of 1-2 was 80.0%. Conversely, those with ratios <1 or >2 had respective survival rates of 24.1% and 5.3%. Most of those with a ratio >2 died within 24 months of diagnosis. Many of the cases with a ratio <1 lived over 12 months but died within about 36 months. Many tumors of those cases with a ratio of 1-2 originated in extra-adrenal glands, and had negative n-myc amplification. Most of the patients with a ratio >2 were diagnosed at 1 year of age or older. The HVA/VMA ratio at diagnosis is useful in estimating both the survival period and the prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Sapporo Medical University, S.1, W.17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ichimiya
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kudoh
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Azuma
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takase
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000652:urine*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; D006719:Homovanillic Acid