Analysis of loss of heterozygosity at 16p12-p13 (familial neuroblastoma locus) in 470 neuroblastomas including both sporadic and mass screening tumors.
BACKGROUND
Neuroblastoma (NBL) in children usually occurs in a sporadic form. However, it rarely occurs in families. Recently, the familial neuroblastoma (FNB) locus has been mapped to 16p12-p13 by linkage analysis.


METHODS
Here we show the result of loss of heterozygosity in the region spanning 16p12-p13 (D16S406-D16S409, 46 cM) in 470 NBLs including both sporadic and mass screening cases.


RESULTS
Allelic loss was found in 61(13%) tumors. Deletion of 16p was associated with mass screening tumor (P = 0.035) and <1 year of age at diagnosis (P = 0.048). We found two commonly deleted regions: the sizes of the region were approximately 2 cM and approximately 6 cM.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggested that allelic loss of 16p was common in favorable NBLs, and there may be at least two candidate loci within the region of FNB.
Furuta
S
S
Department of Pediatric Surgery, St. Marianna School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan.
Ohira
M
M
Machida
T
T
Hamano
S
S
Nakagawara
A
A
D002648:Child; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002885:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity / Q000235:genetics*; D008403:Mass Screening; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics*