Epigenome-wide association study reveals CpG sites related to COG of neuroblastoma.

Background: Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in infants and children. Its variable location and complex pathogenesis make NB hard for early diagnosis and risk classification.

Methodology: We analyzed the methylation data of 236 samples from patients with NB in Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used for comparing overall survival of NB patients in different groups. Epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) was conducted to screen CpGs significantly associated with NB patients' Children's Oncology Group (COG). Logistic regression method was used for constructing a model to predict NB patients' COG.

Results: NB patients in low COG showed significantly superior prognosis than those in high COG. A total of seven CpG sites were found closely related to COG. Logistic regression model based on those CpGs showed superior performance in separating NB patients in different COGs.

Conclusions: The present study highlights the important role of DNA methylation in NB development, which might provide evidence for treatment decisions for children NB.