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Laboratory Evaluation of Bone Marrow Metastasis - Single Institute Study -
2007; 27(2): 96-101
Article
Original Article
Ann Lab Med 2013; 33(2): 89-96
Published online March 1, 2013 https://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2013.33.2.89
Copyright © Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine.
Presence of Differentiating Neuroblasts in Bone Marrow is a Favorable Prognostic Factor for Bone Marrow Metastatic Neuroblastoma at Diagnosis
Sang Hyuk Park, M.D.1, Sollip Kim, M.D.2, Chan-Jeoung Park, M.D.1, Seongsoo Jang, M.D.1, Hyun-Sook Chi, M.D.1, Kyung-Nam Koh, M.D.3, Ho Joon Im, M.D.3, and Jong Jin Seo, M.D.3
Department of Laboratory Medicine1, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, Seoul; Department of Laboratory Medicine2, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang; Department of Pediatrics3, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center,
Seoul, Korea
Correspondence to: Chan-Jeoung Park
Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, Asanbyeongwon-gil 86, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736, Korea
Tel: +82-2-3010-4508
Fax: +82-2-478-0884
E-mail: cjpark@amc.seoul.kr
Received: October 4, 2012; Revised: November 6, 2012; Accepted: January 14, 2013
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background: The prognostic impact of the presence of differentiating neuroblasts in bone marrow (BM) remains unclear in BM metastatic neuroblastoma (NB). We aimed to identify the prognostic impact of differentiating neuroblasts in BM at diagnosis and after chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 51 patients diagnosed with BM metastatic NB at Asan Medical Center between January 1990 and July 2005 were enrolled. BM histology and laboratory data along with overall survival (OS) were compared with regard to the differentiation status of neuroblasts in BM at diagnosis and after chemotherapy. Results: Among the 51 patients, 13 (25.5%) exhibited differentiating neuroblasts in BM at diagnosis and 17/51 (33.3%) exhibited them after chemotherapy. The only significant difference among patient groups was the improved OS in patients with differentiated neuroblasts in BM at diagnosis (P =0.021). In contrast, the differentiation status of neuroblasts in BM after chemotherapy did not affect OS (P =0.852). Conclusions: Our study is the first report describing the presence of differentiating neuroblasts in BM. The presence of differentiating neuroblasts in BM at diagnosis may be a favorable prognostic factor for patients with BM metastatic NB; however, the same phenomenon after chemotherapy is irrelevant to prognosis.
Keywords: Differentiating neuroblasts, Neuroblastoma, Bone marrow, Metastasis, Prognosis