title: Ectopic neuroblastoma in monozygotic twins with different ages of onset: possible twin-to-twin metastasis in utero with distinct genetic alterations after birth.
abstract: We describe neuroblastoma (NB) in monozygotic twins whose ages at the onset of the disease had a 3-year interval. The primary tumor site of twin 1 was the adrenal gland, whereas that of twin 2 was the jejunum/mesentery. MYCN amplification, DNA index, ALK mutation, and copy number alterations of DNA were different between each primary tumor. NB in ectopic sites may have resulted from twin-to-twin metastasis through vascular anastamoses in the placenta. The pathogenesis of this NB involved a premalignant stage of NB during the fetal development and subsequent molecular alterations after birth, resulting in NBs that were phenotypically similar but genetically different.
authors.affiliation: *Division of Blood Transfusion, Shimane University Hospital †Department of Pediatrics ∥Department of Digestive and General Surgery, Shimane University School of Medicine ¶Department of Organ Pathology, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Shimane ‡Department of Cell Therapy and Transplantation Medicine, Pediatrics Cancer Genomics Project **Cancer Genomics Project, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo §Division of Pediatrics and Perinatology, Tottori University School of Medicine #Division of Molecular Pathology, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taketani
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takita
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ueyama
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kanai
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumori
authors.forename: Riruke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Seishi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D017668:Age of Onset; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics*