title: Early negative minimal residual disease in bone marrow after immunotherapy is less predictive of late or non-marrow relapse among patients with high-risk stage 4 neuroblastoma.
abstract: Molecular detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using a four-marker panel in the bone marrow (BM) after only two treatment cycles of anti-GD2 immunotherapy was a strong independent outcome predictor among high-risk patients with stage 4 neuroblastoma in first remission. While 32 of 46 MRD-negative patients relapsed within 2 years from immunotherapy, only four had marrow relapse; in three of these four patients, MRD turned positive in the subsequent BM. We conclude that negative MRD in the post-cycle two BM was rarely associated with BM relapse, but it did not exclude recurrences at other sites.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA. cheungi@mskcc.org
authors: Irene Y
authors: IY
authors: Cheung
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Feng
authors: Nai-Kong V
authors: NK
authors: Cheung
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000473:pathology; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors