THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOMOVANILLIC VANILLYLMANDELIC ACID RATIOS AND PROGNOSIS IN NEUROBLASTOMA/

A total of 44 cases with neuroblastoma cases (excluding true positive cases detected in mass screenings) who were born from 1979 to 1991, an d had data concerning the clinical stage and values of vanillylmandeli c acid (VMA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) at diagnosis (mu g/mg creatin ine) were followed up until the end of 1994. Deaths were confirmed usi ng the record of vital statistics of the Hokkaido Government. The 60-m onth survival rate of those who had an HVA/VMA ratio of 1-2 was 80.0%. Conversely, those with ratios <1 or >2 had respective survival rates of 24.1% and 5.3%. Most of those with a ratio >2 died within 24 months of diagnosis. Many of the cases with a ratio <1 lived over 12 months but died within about 36 months. Many tumors of those cases with a rat io of 1-2 originated in extraadrenal glands, and had negative n-myc am plification. Most of the patients with a ratio >2 were diagnosed at 1 year of age or older. The HVA/VMA ratio at diagnosis is useful in esti mating both the survival period and the prognosis.