This research trial studies specimens from young patients with neuroblastoma. Studying the genes expressed in specimens from patients with cancer may help doctors identify biomarkers related to cancer. It may also help doctors predict how patients will respond to treatment.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. Establish a robust messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) gene expression classifier for improved outcome prediction in children with neuroblastoma by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to quantify mRNA levels from genes that have been shown in at least 2 independent studies to have predictive power. II. Identify microRNA (miRNA) patterns that have prognostic significance in neuroblastoma (NB) as accumulating evidence indicates that alterations in miRNA expression play a critical role in tumorigenesis and can be used in prognostic evaluation. III. To perform an integrated analysis of the established microRNA classifier with our mRNA signature to determine whether it results in even better classification of NB tumors. OUTLINE: Previously collected samples are analyzed for 59 prognostic genes by real-time quantitative PCR-based gene expression profiling.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
350
Correlative studies
Children's Oncology Group
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
mRNA expression levels from genes that have been shown (in at least two independent studies) to have power for outcome prediction in children with NB, assessed by real-time PCR
Multivariate logistic regression analyses will be performed to determine if the mRNA expression signature is a significant independent predictor after controlling for currently used risk factors.
Time frame: Baseline
miRNA patterns that have prognostic significance in NB, assessed by a reverse transcription quantitative PCR-based 'stem-loop' method to quantify expression levels
Multivariate logistic regression analyses will be performed to determine if the miRNA expression signature is a significant independent predictor after controlling for currently used risk factors.
Time frame: Baseline
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