Genetic Alterations Increase Neuroblastoma Risk

12 May 2008 – Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research have been taking part in an international study into the causes of neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer.

Neuroblastoma has different forms and consequently varies in severity: while some cases in young children disappear with minimal treatment, cases in older children can be relentlessly aggressive. Identifying the form is therefore crucial in planning appropriate treatment.

Collaborating with the Children's Hospital's Centre for Applied Genomics, more than 550,000 alterations in the genome were studied in 1,000 patients with neuroblastoma and 2,000 healthy individuals. Three genetic alterations were identified that were much more common in the patients with neuroblastoma, on a region of chromosome 6 known as 6p22.

The researchers found that patients with the genetic alterations were more likely to develop aggressive neuroblastoma. There are two genes near to the variants that might underlie the association with neuroblastoma, but little is currently known about either of them. Future research can now be directed at trying to discover why carrying these genetic alterations increase the risk of neuroblastoma. In the future this may lead to tailored management for children with the aggressive form of the disease.