title: Minimal residual disease in peripheral blood stem cell harvests from high-risk neuroblastoma patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated whether detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) by using tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression could predict outcome of patients with advanced neuroblastoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction was performed for the detection of tumor contamination using TH messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and correlated to clinical parameters and outcome in 45 high-risk neuroblastoma patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High TH expression was detected in PBSC harvests obtained from 26 out of 45 (58%) patients. We did not find a significant correlation between MYCN status, DNA index or primary tumor site, and the TH mRNA level. Patients harboring high TH expression had reduced progression-free survival (PFS) (23%) versus those with low/negative TH expression (43%), although these results were not statistically significant. No significant correlation was observed between TH expression and overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The correlation between an unfavorable outcome and high TH expression in patients' PBSC harvests was not significant. This indicates a need to increase sample size in a long-term clinical outcome study to clarify the importance of TH mRNA contamination in PBSC.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. savigad@post.tau.ac.il
authors.forename: Smadar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Avigad
authors.forename: Galina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feinberg-Gorenshtein
authors.forename: Drorit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luria
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeison
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grunshpan
authors.forename: Yacov
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sverdlov
authors.forename: Shifra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ash
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yaniv
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D000071447:N-Myc Proto-Oncogene Protein; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000175:diagnosis; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C459801:MYCN protein, human; D000071447:N-Myc Proto-Oncogene Protein; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase