title: Expression and clinical significance of stem cell marker CD133 in human neuroblastoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent evidences indicate that CD133, a kind of transmembrane protein, can be used as a marker to isolate stem cells from tumors originating from neural crest. This study was undertaken to explore the expression and clinical significance of stem cell marker CD133 in neuroblastoma (NB).
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of CD133 in 32 patients with NB and 8 patients with ganglioneuroblastoma (GNB). The relationships were analyzed among CD133 expression, international neuroblastoma staging system (INSS) stages, pathological classification, and postoperative survival time of NB patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression rates of CD133 in NB and GNB were 46.9% (15/32) and 37.5% (3/8) respectively, mainly in cytoplasm of neuroblastoma cells. The expression rates of stage 1-2, stage 3-4 and stage 4S were 30.7%, 57.9% and 37.5%, respectively. The differences in various stages were significant (P<0.05). The positive rate of CD133 in patients with unfavorable histology (52.4%) was significantly higher than that in patients with favorable histology (36.8%) (P=0.007). The survival time of CD133 negative patients was significantly longer than that of CD133 positive patients (P=0.026).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CD133 which might be correlated with the development and progression of NB can serve as one of the important indicators for prognosis of NB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China. qs_tong@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Qiang-Song
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Li-Duan
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Shao-Tao
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Qing-Lan
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shi-Wang
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guo-Song
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Jia-Bin
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006023:Glycoproteins; C000606023:PROM1 protein, human; D010455:Peptides