Abstract
A tissue culture assay has been used in our laboratory to establish a quick and accurate diagnosis of neuroblastoma in children. Neural process outgrowth from samples of tumor or bone marrow aspirate (BMA) grown on tissue culture plastic is considered diagnostic of neuroblastoma. We have applied this technique to the analysis of 19 specimens taken from 16 pediatric patients. Four samples developed long neurites in culture. Of these, light microscopic analysis of one tumor and two BMAs were positive for neuroblastoma; another BMA was initially negative, although microscopic evidence for neuroblastoma in bone marrow was demonstrated in this patient within a few months. In this latter case neuroblastoma spread to bone marrow was determined first by this method. In 13 samples neurite outgrowth did not occur. In 8 of these cases, non-neuroblastoma neoplasms were diagnosed. The remaining five samples were from neuroblastoma patients, although no evidence of neuroblastoma cells in the four BMAs and one pleural effusion was demonstrated by light microscopy. Two tumor samples failed to grow in culture. We conclude that the tissue culture assay offers a quick and accurate determination of neuroblastoma infiltration of affected tissue. This procedure additionally offers a means of collecting tumor samples and developing cultures for the testing of other new diagnostic procedures for small round cell tumors.
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Abrams, F., Feusner, J., Peterson, J. et al. A TISSUE CULTURE ASSAY FOR NEUROBLASTOMA DIAGNOSIS. Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 234 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00849
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00849