DIFFERENTIATION AND PROGNOSIS OF NEUROBLASTOMA IN CORRELATION TO THE EXPRESSION OF CD44S

Cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions mediated by cell adhesion molecules (for example CD44) play an important role in the ca scade of metastasis and the progression of human malignant tumours. Th e most important aim of this review was, on the basis of our results a nd the literature, to show the correlation between the expression of C D44s and differentiation and prognosis of neuroblastoma. Surprisingly and in contrast to most other malignant tumours, neuroblastomas exhibi ted an inverse correlation between CD44s expression and tumour progres sion. It can be stated that CD44s is a prognostic marker in neuroblast oma which correlates significantly with the grade of tumour cell diffe rentiation, but not with clinical stage. Moreover, there exists a stat istically significant correlation between MYCN oncogene amplification and the lack of CD44s expression.