ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters Health) - A deletion in the long arm of chromosome 11 is an independent predictor of poor outcome in children with neuroblastoma, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
“Loss of 11q may form the basis for treatment intensification or use of novel therapies as they become available,” Dr. Edward F. Attiyeh from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia told reporters at a press briefing ahead of his presentation.
Among 917 primary neuroblastoma tissue samples analyzed, 302 (33%) showed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at chromosome arm 11q, and 148 (16%) showed “unbalanced” 11q LOH -- that is, loss of 11q material with retention or gain of 11p material.
Most of the tumors did not show MYCN gene amplification, which is known to be associated with a poor outcome in neuroblastoma. “Despite this, both 11q LOH and unbalanced 11q LOH were associated with high-risk disease (p < 0.0001),” Dr. Attiyeh and colleagues note in meeting materials.
Three years after diagnosis, event-free and overall survival were markedly lower in those with unbalanced 11q LOH (50% and 65%, respectively) compared with those without this genetic aberration (74% and 83%, respectively).
These data have several implications, the investigators say. “Unbalanced 11q LOH status could be especially useful in determining whether a patient with locoregional neuroblastoma without MYCN amplification would benefit from more adjuvant chemotherapy,” they write.
In addition, “we now know that we can use 11q loss as a prognostic marker in future neuroblastoma studies,” Dr. Attiyeh said.
The findings also support the presence of one or more clinically relevant tumor suppressor genes on 11q, he added.
MeSH Headings:Biological Sciences: Biology: Chromosome Aberrations: Chromosome Deletion: Cytogenetics: Genetics: Loss of Heterozygosity: Biological SciencesCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.