BACKGROUND: Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor in infants and children. Targeting cancer stem cell therapy can be expected to cure cancer radically, but because of small number, anti-apoptotic and anti-chemotherapy capacity, cancer stem cells are not sensitive to the radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression of stem cell marker CD133 in neuroblastoma and its clinical significance.
METHODS: Fifty-eight children with neuroblastoma admitted at Department of Pediatric Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, China from June 2004 to February 2014 were enrolled, including 46 cases of neuroblastoma and 12 cases of ganglion neuroblastoma. Then, the expression level of CD133 was analyzed by immunohistochemistry method, and the relationship between pathological types, International Neuroblastoma Staging System stage, survival time after surgery and the expression level of CD133 was explored.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There were 22 cases (48%) of neuroblastoma positive for CD133, and 4 cases (33%) of ganglion neuroblastoma positive for CD133. CD133 mainly expressed in the tumor cell cytoplasm. The expression rates of CD133 in different clinical stages were significantly different (P=0.011), which were 21% for stages 1 and 2, 64% for stages 3 and 4, 36% for stage 4S. And the positive rates of CD133 between patients with good prognosis and patients with poor prognosis were significantly different (P=0.031), which were 29% and 57%, respectively. The life cycle of CD133-negative patients was significantly longer than that of CD133-positive infants
(P < 0.05). There were tightly connections between CD133 and the occurrence, development, and prognosis of neuroblastoma, and thus, CD133 is of great significance to assess the survival time after surgery and improve of the diagnosis and treatment of neuroblastoma.