title: Automatic detection and genetic profiling of disseminated neuroblastoma cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rare tumor cells circulating in the hematopoietic system can escape identification. On the other hand, the nature of these cells, positive for an immunologiCal tumor marker, cannot be determined without any genetic information.
  
  
  METHODS
  To overcome these problems a novel computer assisted scanning system for automatic cell search, analysis, and sequential repositioning was developed. This system allows an exact quantitative analysis of rare tumor cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood by sequential immunological and molecular cytogenetic characterization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In that virtually all tumor cells in a mixing experiment could be recovered unambiguously, we can conclude that the sensitivity of this approach is set by the number of cells available for analysis. Sequential FISH analyses of immunologically positive cells improve both the specificity and the sensitivity of the microscopic minimal residual disease detection.
authors.affiliation: Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), St. Anna Kinderspital, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Méhes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luegmayr
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hattinger
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lörch
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Ambros
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gadner
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Ambros
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001856:Bone Marrow Examination; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D002878:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002886:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17 / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015342:DNA Probes; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate / Q000032:analysis; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000032:analysis; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005784:Gene Amplification; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D016259:Genes, myc; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation; D007211:Indoles / Q000032:analysis; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014314:Trisomy; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015342:DNA Probes; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005732:Gangliosides; D007211:Indoles; C007293:DAPI; C019403:ganglioside, GD2; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate