[Expression of polysialylated NCAM on neuroblastomas of various histology and clinical stages].

We studied the expression of the polysialylated form of the neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) on the surface of tumor cells and in the serum of 26 patients with neuroblastoma of different histological grades and clinical stages. For both methods, immunohistochemistry and chemiluminescence immunoassay, the plysialic acid specific monoclonal antibody 735 was used. We show that the expression of this NCAM form correlates with the histological differentiation, stage, other tumor markers and course of disease. PSA-NCAM expression seems to enhance the malignancy of neuroblastoma cells and their tendency to metastasis. Since PSA-NCAM serum concentrations correlate to the amount of PSA-NCAM positive tumor cells, we conclude that PSA-NCAM is a new useful diagnostic and prognostic marker for childhood neuroblastoma.