Cytogenetic abnormalities in two cases of neuroblastoma

Neuroblastomas are common solid tumors in children. We report chromosome analysis of two neuroblastomas, each studied at diagnosis and at recurrence. The first case was a clinical stage D tumor which showed 45,X, -Y, add(1)(p34),der(15)t(Y;15)(q11;p13), and double minutes on cytogenetic analysis at diagnosis. At recurrence, the same structural abnormalities were present along with a homogeneously staining region (hsr) at 8q22, 19p12, or 3p23 in each of three related clones. The hsr were shown to represent amplification of the N-myc gene by in situ hybridization. Cytogenetic analysis of the second tumor, stage D-S, showed 48-54,XX,der(1)add(1)(q41), +2, +7, +7, inv(9), +17, + mar. The lack of demonstrative involvement of 1p or visible evidence of gene amplification has also characterized the limited number of D-S specimens previously described, suggesting that stage D-S neuroblastoma indeed differs from stage D disease at the genetic level.