Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026
05:20
Zebrafish Model of Neuroblastoma Metastasis
Published on: March 14, 2021
Classical and atypical neuroblastoma--case reports
László Csáthy1, János Kappelmayer, István Szegedi
1Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology, Medical and Health Science Center, University of Debrecen, Hungary.
Cytometry. Part B, Clinical Cytometry
|February 22, 2011
Summary
Flow cytometry is a powerful tool for diagnosing neuroblastoma, the most common childhood extracranial solid tumor. It accurately detects minimal residual disease and aids in diagnosing challenging atypical cases, even when only bone marrow involvement is present.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Hematology
- Immunophenotyping
Background:
- Neuroblastoma is a common pediatric extracranial solid tumor originating from pluripotent neural cells.
- Bone marrow infiltration is frequent, necessitating reliable diagnostic and monitoring methods.
- Flow cytometry offers a sensitive approach for diagnosing and tracking neuroblastoma, especially in challenging cases.
Observation:
- Two neuroblastoma cases involving bone marrow infiltration are presented.
- Case 1: Classical neuroblastoma with Homer-Wright rosettes, exhibiting CD81/CD56/CD117 positive, CD45 negative immunophenotype and 80% marrow infiltration.
- Case 2: Atypical neuroblastoma with CD81/bright CD56 positive, CD117 negative immunophenotype and 28% marrow infiltration.
Findings:
- Flow cytometry demonstrated high sensitivity (0.01%) and good correlation with other markers for minimal residual disease in Case 1.
- In Case 2, flow cytometry was crucial for detecting bone marrow involvement when histological examination showed atypical morphology.
- The technique successfully identified neuroblastoma in bone marrow samples, even when the primary tumor was not discernible.
Implications:
- Flow cytometry is a valuable tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of neuroblastoma, particularly in bone marrow samples.
- Its utility is significant in managing atypical neuroblastoma cases that pose diagnostic challenges.
- Accurate immunophenotyping via flow cytometry enhances disease follow-up and assessment of minimal residual disease.