Neuroblastoma stage IV-S: a heterogeneous disease

Eighteen patients were diagnosed and treated for Stage IV-S neuroblastoma at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto between January 1971 and December 1988. All patients were 6 months of age or younger at diagnosis. Nine patients (50%) have remained disease free with a mean follow-up of 9.3 years. Of the seven patients under 6 weeks of age at presentation, four presented in the early neonatal period and died, three due to mechanical complications related to progressive disease, and one due to late recurrence. The remaining three patients under 6 weeks of age, two of whom had skin involvement at diagnosis, are alive and disease free. Six of the 11 patients over 6 weeks of age at presentation survived, combined modality therapy (CMT) being more effective than single modality treatment. N-myc was studied from tumor tissue at diagnosis in four patients and was amplified in three (25x, 25x, 100x), all of whom had late disease progression and died. The patient with a single gene copy has no evidence of disease 24 months following diagnosis. Our study confirms the heterogeneity described in this clinically defined group of patients. Because of it, management of Stage IV-S neuroblastoma cannot be uniform and until further development of a subclassification, or a reclassification based on molecular biologic markers is developed, pediatric oncologists will regularly be confronted with a decision whether or not to treat a newly presenting patient that fits into the clinical classification IV-S.