title: Event-free survival of children with biologically favourable neuroblastoma based on the degree of initial tumour resection: results from the Pediatric Oncology Group.
abstract: We analysed the 2-year event-free survival (EFS) of 49 patients 1 year of age and older, with stage 2B or 3 neuroblastoma, treated on Pediatric Oncology Group protocols 8742 and 9244, with respect to the degree of tumour resection at diagnosis. The 2-year EFS rate for 21 children whose tumours were completely resected at diagnosis was 85% (SE = 10%) compared with an EFS rate of 70% (SE = 9%) for the 28 children whose tumours were incompletely resected at diagnosis. Despite the observed trend in favour of complete resection, these EFS curves were not statistically significantly different (P = 0.259). Patients with favourable Shimada histology tumours had an EFS rate of 92% (SE = 7%) compared with a rate of 58% (SE = 15%) for patients with unfavourable histology tumours. EFS curves for the two histologic groups were significantly different (P = 0.009). The impact of aggressive surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy on the outcome of patients with biologically favourable regional neuroblastoma is still unclear.
authors.affiliation: Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strother
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Hoff
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Shamberger
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Halperin
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Castleberry
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate