Prognostic value of clinical, genetic and cytogenetic findings in neuroblastoma patients from Serbia and Montenegro

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most frequent childhood solid tumor. The aim of this study was to report on the prognostic significance of clinical parameters (age and stage), genetic (Ip deletion and N-myc amplification - NMA) and cytogenetic results in 47 NB patients diagnosed at the Mother and Child Health Institute of Serbia "Dr Vukan Cupic". Clinical factors evaluated in this study were age and clinical stage. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was best (73%) in the age group children less than 1 year, compared with the older children (15%). Stage IV patients had worst outcome (13%) than 'non-stage IV patients (47%). Genetic factors analyzed in this series of NB patients were: Ip deletion and NMA. 5-year OS was: 65% in the Ip deletion negative group and 13% in the Ip36 deletion positive group; 58% in the NMA negative and 19% in NMA positive group. Cytogenetic results showed that normal karyotype, near-diploidy, near-tetraploidy and homogeneously staining regions (hsr) and double minute chromosomes (dms), together with age over 1 year and stage IV were a very poor prognostic factors.