1998 Volume 34 Issue 7 Pages 1167-1174
Purpose : Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) is a genome-wide study on DNA copy number abnormalities (gain and loss) which represent DNA amplification and deletion, respectively. The aim of this study was to evaluate CGH as a sensitive method for the screening of genetic imbalances in neuroblastomas in relation to other prognostic factors like MYCN amplification and 1p LOH. Methods : Forty-five neuroblastomas were examined by CGH. In addition, Southern blot and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of MYCN gene, and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of 1p were performed. Results : DNA copy number changes detected in infant cases were significantly lower than that detected in advanced cases with bone metastasis. MYCN amplification and 1p LOH were detected as 2p gain and 1p loss in CGH, respectively. DNA copy number changes in CGH were fully consistent with the results of Southern blot, FISH and LOH analyses. The most frequent partial chromosome gain was on 17q (21 out of 45 cases), and a gain was detected in all stage 4 cases. The most frequent partial chromosome loss was on 11q (10 out of 45 cases). 14q loss was not detected by CGH. Conclusions : The present study shows that CGH enables considerably rapid detection of known prognostic factors and that it is a useful technique to elucidate previously unknown genetic changes in neuroblastoma.
