Comparison of the cell immunophenotype of metastatic and primary foci in stage IV-S neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma represents one of the most frequently developing malignant solid tumours in children. At the time of diagnosis, in more than half of the cases, metastatic cells are also present in the bone marrow. The present study was aimed at immunocytochemical analysis of selected neuropeptide manifestation in metastatic cells of neuroblastoma in bone marrow and at comparing the obtained results with the immunophenotype of parental neuroblastoma cells. The studies were performed on bone marrow material obtained from children treated at the Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland, in 1998-2000. Immunocytochemical analysis of nervous tissue markers (employing the immunomax technique) involved 36 bone marrow preparations obtained from 27 children. The analysis included expression of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), PGP 9.5 protein, substance P (SP), chromogranin A (ChA), bombesin (B), galanin (G), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). Close to 90% metastatic cells in bone marrow were found to exhibit NSE+SP+B+ phenotype and over a half of the cells manifested additionally expression of PGP 9.5+ChA+NPY+. Comparison of the obtained results with the immunophenotype of neuroblastoma cells obtained directly from the primary tumour demonstrated high correlation of NSE, SP and PGP 9.5 expression. Due to the relative ease of obtaining the bone marrow material and absence of neuromarkers in bone marrow metastatic cells in solid tumours other than neuroblastoma, determination of immunophenotype of the cells may represent a valuable supplementation in preliminary diagnosis of this tumour in children.