Mobilization of tumour cells during biopsy in an infant with Ewing sarcoma

• Published in: European journal of pediatrics Vol. 155; no. 5; pp. 373 - 376
• Main Authors: ZOUBEK, A, KOVAR, H, KRONBERGER, M, AMANN, G, WINDHAGER, R, GRUBER, B, GADNER, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01.05.1996; Berlin Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy; Bone marrow; Bone Neoplasms - blood; Bone Neoplasms - genetics; Bone Neoplasms - pathology; Bone Neoplasms - surgery; Bone tumors; Breakpoints; Chromosome 22; Ewing's sarcoma; Ewings sarcoma; FLI-1 protein; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Humans; Infant; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Male; Medical sciences; Metastases; Molecular Sequence Data; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; Pelvis; Peripheral blood; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA-directed DNA polymerase; Sarcoma, Ewing - blood; Sarcoma, Ewing - genetics; Sarcoma, Ewing - pathology; Sarcoma, Ewing - surgery; Surgery; Transcription, Genetic; Human; Ewing sarcoma; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Reverse transcription; Exploration; Infant; Malignant tumor; Blood; Polymerase chain reaction; Biopsy; Bone; Molecular biology; Tumor cell; Blood dissemination
• DOI: 10.1007/BF01955264
• ISSN: 0340-6199

Ewing sarcoma and the closely related peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour, recently referred to as Ewing tumour (ET), are characterised by unique gene rearrangements on chromosome 22. The breakpoints have been cloned and shown to fuse the Ewing sarcoma gene to one of two closely related ETS proto-oncogens, FLI-1 or ERG, which reside on chromosomes 11 and 21, respectively. The rearrangement results in the expression of specific hybrid transcripts which can be detected with high sensitivity by the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction technique (RT-PCR) in primary tumours, blood and bone marrow. We report on a 7-month-old boy with a pelvic Ewing sarcoma in whom circulating tumour cells were identified in the peripheral blood during open tumour biopsy by RT-PCR. However, before and 6 days after surgery no tumour cells could be detected in the peripheral blood. The application of RT-PCR to monitor shedding of tumour cells during surgical intervention will help to evaluate if open biopsy potentially contributes to metastatic tumour cell spread.