CENTRAL REVIEW OF BONE-MARROW BIOPSY SPECIMENS FROM PATIENTS WITH NEUROBLASTOMA

In order to achieve some uniformity in histological detection of bone marrow infiltration by neuroblastoma and to provide a measure of varia tion in histological opinions, sections from 712 evaluable trephine bi opsy cores from children in a European Neuroblastoma Study Group (ENSG ) study were reviewed centrally. Biopsy specimens were graded as tumou r positive or negative. Discordance between local and central review o pinions was found in 5% of specimens. Only five of 165 children at pre sentation and nine of 256 re-staging procedures in 126 children, affec ting one child each, had their diagnosis upgraded to positive. In six re-staging procedures, affecting one child each, the diagnosis was dow ngraded. The low discordance rate is encouraging and substantially les s important than previously documented difficulties in obtaining adequ ate specimens.