CD44-STANDARD - A NEW HISTOLOGIC PROGNOSTIC PARAMETER IN NEUROBLASTOMA

182 untreated neuroblastomas were examined for the expression of the adhesion molecule CD44s by immunohistochemistry; all tumors were also tested for amplification of the oncogene N-myc by conventional Southern blot analyses. Positive CD44s immunoreactivity correlated not with a more favorable prognosis in contrast to an absence of CD44s expression in stage dependent or independent evaluations. All patients with stage 4S disease (n = 16) expressed CD44s on a high level and had an event-free survival probability of 82%. In undifferentiated neuroblastoma subgroups could be expression of CD44s of N-myc non-amplified tumors defined, depending on the (p < 0.01). In 93% CD44s expression was detected, whereas only 62% of N-myc amplified tumors were positive for CD44s expression. These results point to CD44s expression as a new histological marker in neuroblastoma, having prognostic impact in tumors of undifferentiated morphology.