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Review
. 2019 Feb 11;6(2):27.
doi: 10.3390/children6020027.

The Evolution of Risk Classification for Neuroblastoma

Elizabeth Sokol  1 , Ami V Desai  2   3
Affiliations
Review

The Evolution of Risk Classification for Neuroblastoma

Elizabeth Sokol et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Neuroblastoma is a tumor with great clinical heterogeneity. Patients in North America are risk-stratified using a number of features including age at diagnosis, disease stage, tumor histology, MYCN status (amplified versus nonamplified), and tumor cell ploidy. In this paper, we review the evidence for utilizing these features in the risk classification of neuroblastic tumors. Additionally, we review the clinical and biologic criteria used by various cooperative groups to define low, intermediate, and high-risk disease populations in clinical trials, highlighting the differences in risk classification internationally. Finally, we discuss the development of the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group classification system, designed to begin worldwide standardization of neuroblastoma pretreatment risk classification and allow comparison of clinical trials conducted through different cooperative groups.

Keywords: neuroblastoma; risk classification.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of major events contributing to risk classification for neuroblastoma. INSS—International Neuroblastoma Staging System; INPC—International Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification; INRG—International Neuroblastoma Risk Group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG) classification system [4]. Reprinted with permission from American Society of Clinical Oncology © 2009, The International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG) Classification System: An INRG Task Force Report; published by American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2009.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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