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In situ neuroblastoma: an important concept related to the natural history of neural crest tumors.

Since the initial description of the entity known as "in situ neuroblastoma," thoughts about the origin, fate, and clinical significance of this anatomic finding have influenced the field of neuroectodermal tumor biology. This paper discusses the importance of the original description of in situ neuroblastoma and how the entity fits into contemporary models of neuroblastoma heterogeneity.

Brain Neoplasms↗

Use of recombinant granulocyte-colony stimulating factor to treat neutropenia occurring during craniospinal irradiation.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effectiveness of recombinant human Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor, a hematopoietic growth factor which stimulates neutrophil production, in the treatment of neutropenia caused by Craniospinal Irradiation. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Four consecutive patients who developed neutropenia (neutrophils less than 1.5 X 10(9)/l in peripheral blood) during craniospinal irradiation for primary intracranial tumors received intermittent subcutaneous injections of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor. Two of the patients had medulloblastoma, one had a primitive neuroectodermal tumor and the other a pinealocytoma. No patient received prior or concurrent chemotherapy. RESULTS: In all cases peripheral blood neutrophil counts returned rapidly to normal levels following Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor injections and treatment delays were therefore avoided. Platelet counts were unaffected by Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor treatment. In one case, slight elevation of peripheral blood monocyte and lymphocyte counts occurred after each Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor injection. No toxicity was encountered. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor is a safe and effective treatment for neutropenia caused by extended field radiotherapy.

Adult↗

Pathologic features of extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma: a report from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study.

Eighty-four cases of extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma (EOE) were found during the pathology review of the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study I and II. Patients commonly presented during or after adolescence with the most common primary sites including the trunk, extremities, and retroperitoneum. Males were slightly more affected. Histologic sections of 74 tumors in the pathology repository were re-reviewed with attention to rosette formation (positive in 18 cases) and glycogen deposition (++ in 21, + in 36, +/- in 11, and - in 2 of 70 cases examined). Fourteen tumors (7 with rosettes and 7 without) were selected for immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies, and 13 showed single or multiple neural markers (neuron-specific enolase in 8, S-100 protein in 6, and neurosecretory-type granules in 9). These possible cases of neural EOE could be divided into three subgroups: tumor with bidirectional neuroblastic and schwannian differentiation (5 cases), tumor with monodirectional neuroblastic differentiation (7 cases), and tumor with monodirectional schwannian differentiation (1 case). EOE with a neural nature may be categorized into a spectrum of peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors. Clinical, histopathologic, and biologic differences between this disease and conventional sympathetic neuroblastoma are discussed.

Child↗

Bilateral retinal and brain tumors in transgenic mice expressing simian virus 40 large T antigen under control of the human interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein promoter.

We have previously shown that postnatal expression of the viral oncoprotein SV40 T antigen in rod photoreceptors (transgene MOT1), at a time when retinal cells have withdrawn from the mitotic cycle, leads to photoreceptor cell death (Al-Ubaidi et al., 1992. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 89:1194-1198). To study the effect of the specificity of the promoter, we replaced the mouse opsin promoter in MOT1 by a 1.3-kb promoter fragment of the human IRBP gene which is expressed in both rod and cone photoreceptors during embryonic development. The resulting construct, termed HIT1, was injected into mouse embryos and five transgenic mice lines were established. Mice heterozygous for HIT1 exhibited early bilateral retinal and brain tumors with varying degrees of incidence. Histopathological examination of the brain and eyes of three of the families showed typical primitive neuroectodermal tumors. In some of the bilateral retinal tumors, peculiar rosettes were observed, which were different from the Flexner-Wintersteiner rosettes typically associated with human retinoblastomas. The ocular and cerebral tumors, however, contained Homer-Wright rosettes, and showed varying degrees of immunoreactivity to antibodies against the neuronal specific antigens, synaptophysin and Leu7, but not to antibodies against photoreceptor specific proteins. Taken together, the results indicate that the specificity of the promoter used for T antigen and/or the time of onset of transgene expression determines the fate of photoreceptor cells expressing T antigen.

Animals↗

Comparison of gadolinium-enhanced MR and thallium-201 single photon emission computed tomography in pediatric brain tumors.

Despite its usefulness in adults with cerebral gliomas, indications for thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in pediatric brain tumor patients are not well defined. We prospectively compared thallium SPECT with gadolinium-enhanced MR (Gd-MR) to determine if thallium SPECT provides clinically useful information that cannot be derived from Gd-MR. We studied 24 pediatric brain tumor patients, 7 at presentation and 17 during therapy. MR imaging included T2 and pre- and postgadolinium T1 images. Thallium SPECT was done within 48 h of MR imaging; thallium indices were calculated for 12 of 14 lesions which showed thallium uptake. Surgery and/or clinical follow-up are available in all patients. The tumors included pilocytic astrocytoma (7), medulloblastoma (5), brainstem glioma or glioblastoma (4), germinoma (3), optic glioma (2), mixed glioma (1), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (1), and choroid plexus carcinoma (1). Among the primary tumors, compared to MR, thallium SPECT was false-negative for tumor in 1 patient and true-positive in 6 patients. Among the patients studied while on therapy, compared to MR, thallium SPECT was true-negative for tumor in 7, true-positive in 5, false-negative in 3, and false-positive in 2. In both groups of patients, thallium SPECT underestimated tumor burden as nonenhancing regions of the tumors were not thallium-avid. Thallium indices did not correlate with histologic grade, biologic aggressiveness, or tumor type. We were unable to establish indications for the use of thallium SPECT in this setting as there was little clinically useful information derived from thallium SPECT that was not provided by Gd-MR.

Adolescent↗

Gliomas in families.

This is a descriptive study of 19 families with glial tumors. Twelve were identified prospectively from 178 consecutive, unrelated adults and children with newly diagnosed gliomas seen at a regional cancer center between 01 Jan 89 and 31 Mar 91 (6.7%). There were 45 affected members (42 confirmed); 30 males, 15 females, ages 4 months-78 years (median, 44.5 years; mean, 38.9 years). Two families had four affected members, three families had three, and the others two. All confirmed tumors were supratentorial and all, save one, contained an astrocytic element. Three additional members of two families had other brain or neuroectodermal tumors. These families were not unusually cancer prone and did not appear to have neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, or colonic polyposis. There was no consistent pattern of inheritance.

Adolescent↗

[Clinical and epidemiological analysis of bone marrow transplantation in a pediatric oncology unit].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the demographics and the most important acute clinical complications in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation in the Pediatric Oncology Unit at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed including 41 patients treated between August 1997 and June 2002. Twenty patients received allogeneic transplants (AG) and 21 received autologous transplants (AT). RESULTS: The mean age of AG patients was 8.9 +/- 5.4 years. Twelve patients were male. Stem cell sources were: bone marrow in 12 patients; peripheral blood in five; and unrelated cord blood in three. The diseases were acute lymphoid leukemia in seven patients; acute myeloid leukemia in four; chronic myeloid leukemia in two; myelodysplastic syndrome in two; Burkitt's lymphoma in one; severe combined immunodeficiency in one; Chediaki-Higashi syndrome in one; Fanconi anemia in one; and aplastic anemia in one. One patient developed grade II acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), and three patients had grade IV GVHD. Three patients developed chronic GVHD. In all of them, the cell source was peripheral blood. Survival in this group was 70.0 +/- 10.3%. The main cause of death was GVHD in three patients and sepsis in another three. All deaths occurred before day 100. One of the patients who received unrelated cord blood is alive 3.5 years after the transplantation. In AG patients, mean age was 8.7 +/- 4.3 years. Eleven patients were male. The stem cell sources were: peripheral blood in 16; bone marrow in three; and peripheral blood + bone marrow in two. The diseases were: Wilms' tumor in five patients; Ewing's sarcoma family tumors in four; neuroblastoma in three; Hodgkin's disease in three; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in one; rhabdomyosarcoma in two; neuroectodermic tumor of the central nervous system in two; acute myeloid leukemia in one. Survival in this group was 59.4 +/- 11.7%. Five patients died due to tumor relapse, two patients due to sepsis and one patient died in remission 20 months after bone marrow transplantation due to infection. In the whole group, the most common toxicities were vomiting, mucositis, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Infections were recorded in 58.5% of the patients. In 46.9%, at least one pathogen was isolated in the blood culture. The time required for neutrophil and platelet engraftment was correlated to the number of hematopoietic stem cell infused. CONCLUSION: The overall survival in our patients is similar to that reported in the literature. We did not find differences between AT and AG patients regarding acute toxicities and infections.

Adolescent↗

Experimental neurocytomas.

Four ethyl-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced oligodendroglioma-like tumors of the rat showing large rosettes on haematoxylin-eosin stain were studied by means of immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy, and their features compared with six human intraventricular neurocytomas. The similarities between the experimental and human tumors studied support the hypothesis that most of the so-called ENU-induced oligodendrogliomas in the rat are primitive neuroectodermal tumors with the tendency to differentiate toward a neuronal phenotype, and also suggest that the ENU-model of neurocarcinogenesis is useful for the induction of experimental neurocytomas.

Animals↗

Pheochromocytoma.

Although a rare cause of secondary hypertension, timely recognition and management of pheochromocytoma are crucial to prevent serious complications that can result from this tumor. The cause of pheochromocytoma is unknown. It may be a component of a polyglandular endocrine disturbance or associated with other neuroectodermal tumors, but usually it is recognized as an isolated finding. Because of the variable clinical manifestations, proper diagnostic quest for pheochromocytoma depends on a high index of suspicion. Availability of biochemical assays for catecholamines and their metabolites has improved our ability to establish or exclude the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma in a suspected patient. However, before ordering the biochemical tests, it is important to be certain that the patient has not taken any drugs or substances that can lead to a spurious value. Confirmatory localization of pheochromocytoma has become a straightforward exercise owing to current radiological techniques. Blockade of the effects of catecholamines provides the pharmacological basis for medical treatment of pheochromocytoma. Surgical removal of the tumor is the treatment of choice for most patients with pheochromocytoma.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

Peripheral blood stem cells in children with solid tumors. Part II. Immunocytologic detection of tumor cells in bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell harvests.

Simultaneous comparative assessment of tumor contamination in bone marrow aspirates and peripheral blood stem cell collections using immunocytochemical techniques was done in 6 children with neuroectodermal tumors. In 3 neuroblastoma patients tumor cells were detected in 5 of 16 marrow samples but not in peripheral blood stem cells. Clonogenic tumor cell reinfusion in the autologous support setting may be avoided in neuroblastoma patients by using peripheral blood stem cells.

Adolescent↗

Cytogenetics and tissue culture of small round cell tumors of bone and soft tissue.

The variety of tumor-specific cytogenetic and genetic alterations among small round cell tumors (Ewing family of tumors, rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and lymphoma) increases the possibility of genotypic diagnosis of them. In Ewing's sarcoma and related peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors, a (11;22)(q24;q12) translocation is associated with hybrid transcripts of the EWS gene with the FLIl gene. In alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a (2;13)(q35;qt4) translocation is associated with a chimeric gene between PAX3 and FKHR. Specific genetic alterations of the short arm of chromosome 1 and amplification of the MYCN gene are diagnostically useful in neuroblastomas as the immunoglobulin or T-cell receptor gene rearrangements and chromosome translocations in lymphomas. Thus, cytogenetics and genetics provide an essential adjunct to diagnostic surgical pathology in the case of small round cell tumors, which often present substantial diagnostic challenges. Likewise, in vitro culture studies represent another approach in determining histogenetic origin, novel genes, novel mechanisms of gene dysregulation, and the biological characteristics of small round cell tumors.

Bone Neoplasms↗

Central nervous system atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors of infancy and childhood.

Clinical and morphological features of an apparently unique, biologically aggressive central nervous system tumor in 32 infants and children are presented. This neoplasm is formed wholly or partly by rhabdoid cells, areas resembling typical primitive neuroectodermal tumor, and, less frequently, malignant mesenchymal and/or epithelial tissue. The tumor has been named atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATT/RhT) and is regarded as a unique class of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors. It occurs most commonly in infants less than two years of age, has often metastasized throughout the CNS at presentation, dose not respond to therapy and causes death less than a year after diagnosis. These tumors may occur in any CNS site but almost 60% are located in the cerebellum. The most common chromosomal abnormality involves chromosome 22.

Central Nervous System Neoplasms↗

Cross-sectional imaging with CT and/or MRI of pediatric chest tumors.

The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the spectrum of pediatric chest masses, to present the results of cross-sectional imaging with CT and/or MRI, and to define diagnostic criteria to limit differential diagnosis. Seventy-eight children with thoracic mass lesions were retrospectively evaluated using CT (72 patients) and/or MR imaging (12 patients). All masses were evaluated for tissue characteristics (attenuation values or signal intensity, enhancement, and calcification) and were differentiated according to age, gender, location, and etiology. Twenty-eight of 38 (74 %) mediastinal masses were malignant (neuroblastoma, malignant lymphoma). Thirty of 38 (79 %) pulmonary masses were metastatic in origin, all with an already known primary tumor (osteosarcoma, Wilms tumor). With one exception, all remaining pulmonary lesions were benign. Seventeen of 21 (81 %) chest wall lesions were malignant (Ewing sarcoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumor). The majority of mediastinal and chest wall tumors in children is malignant. Lung lesions are usually benign, unless a known extrapulmonary tumor suggests pulmonary metastases. Cross-sectional imaging with CT and/or MRI allows narrowing of the differential diagnosis of pediatric chest masses substantially by defining the origin and tissue characteristics. Magnetic resonance imaging is preferred for posterior mediastinal lesions, whereas CT should be used for pulmonary lesions. For the residual locations both modalities are complementary.

Adolescent↗

Stereotactically-guided biopsies of brainstem tumors.

INTRODUCTION: More than 10 years ago, the goal of our work had been to obtain a tissue sample of infiltrating lesions of the brainstem that had been diagnosed using computerized axial tomography (CAT). At that time, biopsies were believed to be indispensable when starting treatment of tumors. With time our objectives changed. Biopsies remained necessary, since until 1 year before the writing of this article we had not had the benefits of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at our Hospital. We also decided that carrying out sound statistics, confirmed by biopsies, was in itself a good procedure, especially in a country in which, to date, no serial studies of brainstem tumors had been undertaken. METHODS: We analyzed all of the patients diagnosed with posterior fossa tumors between March 1989 and March 2002 at the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez (HIM). A preoperative TAC of the cranium was performed on every patient. Stereotactically-guided biopsies during tomography allowed precise control of penetration. Material obtained was sent to the Department of Pathology for analysis. RESULTS: Fifty patients were diagnosed with infiltrating tumors of the brainstem: 30 cases of low-grade astrocytomas, 13 cases of high-grade astrocytomas, 2 cases of primitive neuroectodermic tumors, 2 cases of rhabdoid tumors, 1 case of ependymoma, and 2 patients had non-specified tumors. The most frequent symptoms and signs were ataxia and disturbances of the cranial nerves. There was no mortality caused by penetration, and follow-up studies of more than 5 years were carried out. DISCUSSION: The results from our series were similar to those in the literature. In our case, follow-up studies were undertaken for longer periods. In the first section of our work, we suggest the need for stereotactic biopsies in order to arrive at a precise diagnosis in environments in which MRI may be unavailable. CONCLUSION: At present, presumptive diagnosis of infiltrating brainstem lesions may be adequately undertaken with imaging methods, such as MRI. However, we believe that a stereotactically-guided biopsy provides an accurate method for diagnosing lesions of the brainstem. In our case, this procedure has been carried out entirely in the tomography room, without any complications of disease or mortality.

Adolescent↗

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging in children with recurrent primary brain tumors.

PURPOSE: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging ((1)H-MRSI) is a noninvasive technique for spatial characterization of biochemical markers in tissues. We measured the relative tumor concentrations of these biochemical markers in children with recurrent brain tumors and evaluated their potential prognostic significance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: (1)H-MRSI was performed on 27 children with recurrent primary brain tumors referred to our institution for investigational drug trials. Diagnoses included high-grade glioma (n = 10), brainstem glioma (n = 7), medulloblastoma/peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (n = 6), ependymoma (n = 3), and pineal germinoma (n = 1). (1)H-MRSI was performed on 1. 5-T magnetic resonance imagers before treatment. The concentrations of choline (Cho) and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in the tumor and normal brain were quantified using a multislice multivoxel method, and the maximum Cho:NAA ratio was determined for each patient's tumor. RESULTS: The maximum Cho:NAA ratio ranged from 1.1 to 13.2 (median, 4.5); the Cho:NAA ratio in areas of normal-appearing brain tissue was less than 1.0. The maximum Cho:NAA ratio for each histologic subtype varied considerably; approximately equal numbers of patients within each tumor type had maximum Cho:NAA ratios above and below the median. Patients with a maximum Cho:NAA ratio greater than 4.5 had a median survival of 22 weeks, and all 13 patients died by 63 weeks. Patients with a Cho:NAA ratio less than or equal to 4.5 had a projected survival of more than 50% at 63 weeks. The difference was statistically significant (P =.0067, log-rank test). CONCLUSION: The maximum tumor Cho:NAA ratio seems to be predictive of outcome in children with recurrent primary brain tumors and should be evaluated as a prognostic indicator in newly diagnosed childhood brain tumors.

Adolescent↗

O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase activity in human brain tumors.

It is well known that resistance in tumor cells to alkylating agents and, in particular, chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs), which are widely used in the chemotherapy of brain tumors, correlate well with activity of the DNA repair enzyme O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (O6-AT). We measured O6-AT activity in human brain tumors in order to obtain basic knowledge of whether or not CENU chemotherapy can be applied selectively on brain tumors. The subjects included 17 gliomas (seven malignant astrocytomas, two glioblastomas, two medulloblastomas, two oligodendrogliomas, two ependymomas, one fibrillary astrocytoma, one primitive neuroectodermal tumor) and five non-glial tumors (three meningiomas, two neurinomas). The value of O6-AT activity for the gliomas varied widely and indicated 111 +/- 65 fmol of 3H-methyl adducts transferred/mg protein extract/hr (mean +/- S.D., range 0-258, 18 tumors), while the non-glial tumors showed a relatively high value of 270 +/- 43 fmol/mg/hr (range 225-330, 5 tumors). A significant difference in the O6-AT activity was noted between the gliomas and the nonglial tumors at the p-value of 0.001. Six (38%) out of 17 glioma cases showed a value below 100 fmol/mg/hr and four cases (24%) a value below 60 fmol/mg/hr. These results provide a biological basis for applying CENU chemotherapy on glioma patients with a lower value of O6-AT enzyme.

Brain Neoplasms↗

Medulloblastoma in adults.

Seventeen adult patients (16 years of age and over) with medulloblastoma were managed at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre between 1981 and 1992. Nine patients were males and eight were females. The average age at diagnosis was 26.7 years; the females were younger than the males. The average duration of history before diagnosis was 14.5 weeks, the females presenting earlier than the males. The tumors were located in the midline (9) and the hemispheres (8). Nine patients had the desmoplastic variant and eight had standard primitive neuroectodermal tumor. Hydrocephalus developed in 14 of the patients only seven of whom required a shunting procedure. All patients had either subtotal or gross total removal of the tumor. Sixteen patients had postoperative radiation therapy; one patient refused radiation therapy. Two patients had chemotherapy following recurrence of the tumor. The clinical presentation, radiological studies, histological variants, treatment and outcome are discussed in this report.

Adolescent↗

Primitive myxoid mesenchymal tumor of infancy: a clinicopathologic report of 6 cases.

Soft tissue sarcomas in the first year of life are rare, and the most common sarcomas in infancy are embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor, congenital infantile fibrosarcoma, and primitive sarcomas such as undifferentiated sarcoma. In this study, we report 6 cases of a primitive myxoid mesenchymal tumor of infancy (PMMTI), which previously may have been included under the diagnostic categories of congenital-infantile fibrosarcoma or infantile fibromatosis. PMMTI occurred in 6 infants, 3 of whom had a congenital presentation of a soft tissue mass. All patients were otherwise healthy. The tumors occurred on the trunk, extremities, and head and neck. Grossly, the tumors were nonencapsulated and had a multinodular appearance with focal infiltrative growth, a white fleshy cut surface, and a tumor diameter ranging from 2 to 15 cm. Histologically, a diffuse growth of primitive spindle, polygonal, and round cells occurred in a myxoid background. The tumor cells were arranged in a vaguely nodular pattern with peripheral collagenized stroma, higher cellularity at the periphery, and a delicate vascular network in the background. Immunohistochemically, the tumors displayed diffuse reactivity for vimentin and no reactivity for smooth muscle actin, muscle specific actin, desmin, S-100 protein, or myogenin. Electron microscopy documented a poorly differentiated fibroblastic proliferation. Four cases tested negative for the ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion by RT-PCR. One tumor had a complex karyotypic abnormality with rearrangements involving chromosomes Y, 9, and 3. Three patients had recurrences or metastasis treated with a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. One patient is alive with persistent locally aggressive disease, 2 are alive with no evidence of recurrence, 1 had a recurrence treated surgically without further follow-up information, 1 patient died with persistent tumor and sepsis 6 weeks after diagnosis, and 1 patient was lost to follow-up. The morphologic appearance combined with the ultrastructural features and absence of the typical gene rearrangement of congenital-infantile fibrosarcoma are unique, and we propose that PMMTI represents a new category of pediatric fibroblastic-myofibroblastic tumor.

Dermatofibrosarcoma↗