Prognostic significance of biochemical heterogeneity of catecholaminergic clones in neuroblastoma.

Background/purpose: Genetic heterogeneity of neuroblastic tumors leads to biochemical changes that manifest themselves in different symptoms and clinical courses, which may vary from spontaneous regression and remission to progression with fatal outcome.

Methods: To test the hypothesis that ratios of dopamine (DA) to noradrenaline and of DA to vanillylmandelic acid reflect the composition of adrenergic clones and tumor heterogeneity, we determined urinary DA/noradrenaline and DA/vanillylmandelic acid ratios that presumably reflect DA-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) activity and the prognostic values thereof.

Results: Based on catecholamine metabolism, 4 model situations were defined: (a) complete block of DBH in all cells; (b) block of DBH in some cells; (c) a different enzymatic block; and (d) normal DBH activity in the population of tumor-forming cells.

Therapeutic strategies for the treatment of neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumor in children, has a highly heterogeneous clinical presentation and course. Current risk-based therapy is usually effective in patients who have intermediate risk features, however, intensive treatment of advanced neuroblastoma in children over two years of age is far from satisfactory. Current therapeutic approaches include the optimization of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of conventional agents, as well as the development of novel targeted drugs, such as signal transduction and angiogenesis inhibitors, apoptosis/differentiation stimulators and immunotherapeutics.

Varicella zoster virus infections in neuroblastoma patients: a 31-year clinical study.

Background: The oncogenic potential of viruses was demonstrated in some human cancers. The oncogenic role of chickenpox (Cp) infection caused by varicella zoster virus has not been investigated to date.

Patients And Methods: Among 333 children with neuroblastoma, 50 had Cp infection.

Epidemiology of neuroblastoma: analysis of a single institution.

Background: Neuroblastoma is the fourth most frequent cancer among all pediatric neoplasms Epidemiological studies may shed more light on the disease and aid in improving treatment of patients with neuroblastoma.

Patients And Methods: Epidemiology data are presented for 333 children with neuroblastoma or ganglioneuroblastoma and 11 children with ganglioneuroma who were treated at the Institute of Mother and Child in Warsaw, Poland, from 1962 to 1996.

Results: Analysis of the stage of the disease, age, sex and survival of children with neuroblastoma demonstrated comparable distribution of good and intermediate stages versus the stages with a poor prognosis.

Epidemiology and etiology of neuroblastoma: an overview.

Neuroblastoma is a complex and therapeutically challenging malignant disease in children. This tumor of the sympathetic nervous system, derived from pathologically maturing neural crest progenitor cells, is unique among pediatric cancers because of spontaneous regressions and catecholamine excretion. Causal treatment of cancer requires a comprehensive understanding of cancer etiology and pathogenesis.