Comparative genomic hybridization reveals changes in DNA-copy number in poor-risk neuroblastoma

Aggressive neuroblastoma remains a therapeutic challenge, and additional un derstanding of its bi ology is of paramount importance. Changes in DNA-copy number were analysed in the neuroblastoma cells of 27 patients using compa rative genomic hybridization (CGH). Eighteen of the patients had a poor ris k disease (16/18 stage TV) and 9 had a non-poor-risk disease (3/9 stage I-I I, 2/9 stage III, and 4/9 stage IVS). Changes in DNA-copy number were detec ted in 72% of the poor-risk and 22% of the non-poor-risk tumors with gains of chromosomal material being more prevalent than losses. Gains were most c ommon in chromosomes 2, 7, and 17 and losses in chromosome 11. Changes in D NA-copy number were multiple in all but one of the patients with poor-risk disease. The applicability of CGH in studies on the genomic changes in pedi atric malignancies is demonstrated by our data also adding weight to the ar gument of multiple elements with oncogenic and/or tumor suppressor potentia l being involved in the aggressive phenotype of poor-risk neuroblastoma, (C ) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.