title: Molecular detection of tyrosine hydroxylase in the peripheral blood of patients with neuroblastoma: useful at diagnosis but not predictive of subsequent relapse during off-therapy follow-up.
abstract: In the present study, the authors analyzed the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression in peripheral blood (PB) of neuroblastoma (NB) patients and investigated the clinical implications. From April 2005 to October 2008, a total of 683 PB specimens (64 at diagnosis, 244 during chemotherapy, 355 during off-therapy follow-up, and 20 at relapse) acquired from 141 patients were investigated. TH expression was measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). TH-positive rate at diagnosis (21.4%) was higher than those during chemotherapy (0.8%) or off-therapy follow-up (1.7%). TH expression at diagnosis was associated with high-risk features (ie, advanced stage, older age, unfavorable pathology, and amplified N-myc) and the probability of 3-year relapse-free survival in the TH-positive patients was lower than in the TH-negative patients (45.8% ± 27.8% versus 95.8% ± 5.7%, P < .001). TH expression was positive in only 6 specimens during off-therapy follow-up. However, tumor relapse occurred in only 2 out of 6 TH-positive patients. In addition, TH expression was negative during previous off-therapy follow-up, prior to relapse, in 8 out of 10 relapsed patients. Whereas TH expression in PB at diagnosis was associated with high-risk features and a poorer outcome, TH expression during off-therapy follow-up had very limited value for the prediction of a subsequent relapse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Tae
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chang-Seok
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Ki
authors.forename: Ki Woong
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Hee-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jong-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sun-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soo Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Keon Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Hong Hoe
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.forename: Ju Youn
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun Joo
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012008:Recurrence; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase