Minimal residual disease is a prognostic marker for neuroblastoma with bone marrow infiltration

• Published in: American journal of clinical oncology Vol. 35; no. 3; p. 275
• Main Authors: Cai, Jiao-Yang, Pan, Ci, Tang, Yan-Jing, Chen, Jing, Ye, Qi-Dong, Zhou, Min, Xue, Huiliang, Tang, Jing-Yan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.06.2012
• Subjects: Antigens, CD34 - metabolism; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Bone Marrow - pathology; Bone Marrow Neoplasms - diagnosis; Bone Marrow Neoplasms - etiology; Bone Marrow Neoplasms - mortality; Child; Child, Preschool; Combined Modality Therapy; Disease Progression; Female; Flow Cytometry; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant; Male; Neoplasm Staging; Neoplasm, Residual - diagnosis; Neoplasm, Residual - etiology; Neoplasm, Residual - mortality; Neuroblastoma - mortality; Neuroblastoma - pathology; Neuroblastoma - therapy; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation - adverse effects; Pilot Projects; Prognosis; Survival Rate
• ISSN: 1537-453X
• DOI: 10.1097/COC.0b013e318210f51b

This pilot study focused on whether flow cytometry (FCM) detection of minimal residual disease in bone marrow (BM) could predict the outcome of patients with advanced neuroblastoma (NB). Fifty-seven stage 4 NB patients with BM infiltration were enrolled in this study. All of them received NB-2001 protocol. BM samples were examined for tumor cell contamination by both morphology and FCM with CD45-FITC/CD81-PE/CD56-PECy5 monoclonal antibodies cocktail at diagnosis and after 4 courses of chemotherapy. BM samples of all patients were positive at diagnosis by FCM, and samples from 30 patients became negative after 4 courses of chemotherapy, 10 patients relapsed (33.3%) in mean 45.5 months, range 7 to 69. Another 27 patients remained positive, and 20 of them relapsed (74.1%) in mean 24.2 months, range 8 to 48. There was a statistically significant difference in event-free survival between the 2 groups (P = 0.002). Persistence of minimal residual disease in BM may work as a chemotherapy response marker and predict the prognosis in advanced NB.