Skip to main content
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1988 May;41(5):527–531. doi: 10.1136/jcp.41.5.527

Comparative study of the degree of differentiation of neuroblastoma and mean numbers of nucleolar organiser regions.

M Egan 1, F Raafat 1, J Crocker 1, D Williams 1
PMCID: PMC1141505  PMID: 3384982

Abstract

Twenty confirmed cases of childhood neuroblastoma diagnosed over six years were reviewed and classified according to the subtyping proposed by Shimada et al. The tumours were stained using a silver colloid method for nucleolar organiser regions (NORs), and the mean number of NORs for every 200 cells was calculated. The correlation between the mean number of NORs and histology and survival was studied. There was a significant correlation between the mean numbers of NORs and differentiation, and with the mitosis-karyorrhexis index (MKI) in the stroma poor group (p = 0.01-0.001). A trend to increased survival with decreased numbers of NORs was observed in the study group as a whole (rank order of correlation = -0.57, p = 0.05-0.02). It is suggested that mean number of NORs is of prognostic value in neuroblastomas.

Full text

PDF
527

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Coldman A. J., Fryer C. J., Elwood J. M., Sonley M. J. Neuroblastoma: influence of age at diagnosis, stage, tumor site, and sex on prognosis. Cancer. 1980 Oct 15;46(8):1896–1901. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19801015)46:8<1896::aid-cncr2820460833>3.0.co;2-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Crocker J., Skilbeck N. Nucleolar organiser region associated proteins in cutaneous melanotic lesions: a quantitative study. J Clin Pathol. 1987 Aug;40(8):885–889. doi: 10.1136/jcp.40.8.885. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Egan M. J., Raafat F., Crocker J., Smith K. Nucleolar organiser regions in fibrous proliferations of childhood and infantile fibrosarcoma. J Clin Pathol. 1988 Jan;41(1):31–33. doi: 10.1136/jcp.41.1.31. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Egan M. J., Raafat F., Crocker J., Smith K. Nucleolar organizer regions in small cell tumours of childhood. J Pathol. 1987 Nov;153(3):275–280. doi: 10.1002/path.1711530312. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Egan M., Raafat F., Crocker J., Williams D. Prognostic importance of nucleolar organiser regions in Ewing's sarcoma of childhood. J Clin Pathol. 1988 Feb;41(2):232–232. doi: 10.1136/jcp.41.2.232-a. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Egan M., Smith K. E. S100 protein and myoepithelial cells of breast. J Clin Pathol. 1987 Dec;40(12):1485–1486. doi: 10.1136/jcp.40.12.1485. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Howell W. M., Black D. A. Controlled silver-staining of nucleolus organizer regions with a protective colloidal developer: a 1-step method. Experientia. 1980 Aug 15;36(8):1014–1015. doi: 10.1007/BF01953855. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hughes M., Marsden H. B., Palmer M. K. Histologic patterns of neuroblastoma related to prognosis and clinical staging. Cancer. 1974 Nov;34(5):1706–1711. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197411)34:5<1706::aid-cncr2820340519>3.0.co;2-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jaffe N. Neuroblastoma: review of the literature and an examination of factors contributing to its enigmatic charcter. Cancer Treat Rev. 1976 Jun;3(2):61–82. doi: 10.1016/s0305-7372(76)80005-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kajanti M., Holsti P. Prognostic factors in neuroblastoma. Ann Clin Res. 1986;18(3):129–133. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mäkinen J. Microscopic patterns as a guide to prognosis of neuroblastoma in childhood. Cancer. 1972 Jun;29(6):1637–1646. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197206)29:6<1637::aid-cncr2820290631>3.0.co;2-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ploton D., Menager M., Adnet J. J. Simultaneous high resolution localization of Ag-NOR proteins and nucleoproteins in interphasic and mitotic nuclei. Histochem J. 1984 Aug;16(8):897–906. doi: 10.1007/BF01002794. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Sandstedt B., Jereb B., Eklund G. Prognostic factors in neuroblastomas. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand A. 1983 Sep;91(5):365–371. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1983.tb02767.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Shimada H., Aoyama C., Chiba T., Newton W. A., Jr Prognostic subgroups for undifferentiated neuroblastoma: immunohistochemical study with anti-S-100 protein antibody. Hum Pathol. 1985 May;16(5):471–476. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(85)80085-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Shimada H., Chatten J., Newton W. A., Jr, Sachs N., Hamoudi A. B., Chiba T., Marsden H. B., Misugi K. Histopathologic prognostic factors in neuroblastic tumors: definition of subtypes of ganglioneuroblastoma and an age-linked classification of neuroblastomas. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1984 Aug;73(2):405–416. doi: 10.1093/jnci/73.2.405. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Wilson L. M., Draper G. J. Neuroblastoma, its natural history and prognosis: a study of 487 cases. Br Med J. 1974 Aug 3;3(5926):301–307. doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5926.301. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES