Shono K, Tajiri T, Fujii Y, Suita S
Pediatric Surgery, Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
J Pediatr Surg. 2000 Oct;35(10):1415-20. doi: 10.1053/jpsu.2000.16403.
In patients with neuroblastoma (NB), minimal disease (MD) in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) is thought to play an important role in metastasis. The current study was designed to evaluate the clinical implications of the detection of MD in NB at the initial diagnosis.
Expression of the neuroendocrine protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA in BM and PB obtained from 18 patients with NB was investigated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
MD was detected in the BM obtained from 4 of 14 localized NB patients and also in the PB from 2. However, it was found also in both the BM and PB obtained from all 4 patients with metastatic NB. Two of the 4 MD-positive patients with localized NB had metastatic recurrence after a complete tumor excision. They also had unfavorable biological prognostic factors compared with the other 2 who did not have recurrent disease.
MD detected by RT-PCR in the BM and the PB of patients with NB thus suggests a risk for metastatic disease, which in association with other unfavorable biological features may indicate a poor prognosis.
在神经母细胞瘤（NB）患者中，骨髓（BM）和外周血（PB）中的微小病灶（MD）被认为在转移过程中起重要作用。本研究旨在评估NB初诊时检测MD的临床意义。
通过逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）研究了18例NB患者的BM和PB中神经内分泌蛋白基因产物9.5（PGP9.5）和酪氨酸羟化酶（TH）mRNA的表达。
在14例局限性NB患者中的4例的BM中检测到MD，在2例的PB中也检测到MD。然而，在所有4例转移性NB患者的BM和PB中均检测到MD。4例MD阳性的局限性NB患者中有2例在肿瘤完全切除后发生了转移复发。与其他2例未复发的患者相比，他们还具有不利的生物学预后因素。
通过RT-PCR在NB患者的BM和PB中检测到的MD提示有发生转移性疾病的风险，这与其他不利的生物学特征相关可能预示预后不良。
