Extracellular matrix composition defines an ultra-high-risk group of neuroblastoma within the high-risk patient cohort.
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ABSTRACT: Although survival for neuroblastoma patients has dramatically improved in recent years, a substantial number of children in the high-risk subgroup still die.We aimed to define a subgroup of ultra-high-risk patients from within the high-risk cohort. We used advanced morphometric approaches to quantify and characterise blood vessels, reticulin fibre networks, collagen type I bundles, elastic fibres and glycosaminoglycans in 102 high-risk neuroblastomas specimens. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to correlate the analysed elements with survival.The organisation of blood vessels and reticulin fibres in neuroblastic tumours defined an ultra-high-risk patient subgroup with 5-year survival rate <15%. Specifically, tumours with irregularly shaped blood vessels, large sinusoid-like vessels, smaller and tortuous venules and arterioles and with large areas of reticulin fibres forming large, crosslinking, branching and haphazardly arranged networks were linked to the ultra-high-risk phenotype.We demonstrate that quantification of tumour stroma components by morphometric techniques has the potential to improve risk stratification of neuroblastoma patients.
SUBMITTER: Tadeo I
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4985353 | biostudies-other | 2016 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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