Abstract
Ewing sarcoma and the closely relate peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour, recently referred to as Ewing tumour (ET), are characterised by unique gene rearrangements on chromosome 22. The breakpoints have been cloned and shown to fuse the Ewing sarcoma gene to one of two closely related ETS proto-oncogens, FLI-1 or ERG, which reside on chromosomes 11 and 21, respectively. The rearrangement results in the expression of specific hybrid transcripts which can be detected with high sensitivity by the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction technique (RT-PCR) in primary tumours, blood and bone marrow. We report on a 7-month-old boy with a pelvic Ewing sarcoma in whom circulating tumour cells were identified in the peripheral blood during open tumour biopsy by RT-PCR. However, before and 6 days after surgery no tumour cells could be detected in the peripheral blood.
Conclusion
The application of RTPCR to monito shedding of tumour cells during surgical intervention will nelp to evaluate if open biopsy potentially contributes to metastatic tumour cell spread.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- cDNA :
-
complementary desoxyribonucleic acid
- ET :
-
Ewing tumours
- ETS E26:
-
avian erythroblastosis virus transformation-specific oncogen
- EWS gene :
-
Ewing sarcoma gene
- FLI-1 gene :
-
Friend leukaemia virus integration site 1 gene
- M1C2/CD99 :
-
cell surface sialoglycoprotein
- mRNA :
-
messanger ribonucleic acid
- RT-PCR :
-
reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction
References
Brown DC, Purushotham AD, Bimie GD, George WD (1995) Detection of intraoperative tumor cell dissemination in patients with breast cancer by use of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction. Surgery 117:95–101
Brugger W, Bross KJ, Glatt M, Weber F, Mertelsmann R, Kanz L (1994) Mobilization of tumour cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells into peripheral blood of patients with solid tumours. Blood 83:636–640
Burchill SA, Bradbury FM, Smith B, Lewis IJ, Selby P (1994) Neuroblastoma cell detection by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA. Int J Cancer 57:671–675
Chomezynski P, Sacchi N (1987) Single-step method of RNA isolation by acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenolchloroform extraction. Anal Biochem 162:156–159
Cline MJ (1994) The molecular basis of leukemia. N Engl J Med 330:328–336
Delattre O, Zucman J, Plougastel B, Desmaze C, Melot T, Peter M, Kovar H, Joubert I, deJong P, Rouleau G, Aurias A, Thomas G (1992) Gene fusion with an ETS-binding domain caused by chromosome translocation in human tumours. Nature 359:162–165
Delattre O, Zucman J, Melot T, Sastre-Garau X, Zucker JM, Melenoir G, Ambros PF, Sheer D, Turc-Carel C, Triche TJ, Aurias A, Thomas G (1994) The Ewing family of tumours: a subgroup of small round cell tumours defined by specific chimeric transcripts. N Engl J Med 331:294–299
Dobrovic A, Hardingham JE, Kotasek D, Eaton MC, Mi JX, Sage RE (1995) Detection of circulating tumor cells pre- and post-surgery for colorectal cancer using immunobead-PCR. Proc AACR 36:1273
Dockhorn-Dworniczak B, Schäfer KL, Dantcheva R, Blasius S, Böcker W, Jürgens H, Winkelmann W, Burdach S (1994) Prognostic features of Ewing's sarcoma on plain radiograph and computed tomography scan after initial treatment. Cancer 74:988–989
Horowitz ME, Malawer MM, Delaney TF, Tsokos MG (1993) Ewing's sarcoma family of tumours: Ewing's sarcoma of bone and soft tissue and the peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumours. In: Pizzo PA, Poplack DG (eds) Principles and practice of pediatric oncology. J.P. Lippincott, Philadelphia, pp 795–821
Jürgens H, Exner U, Gadner H, Harms D, Michaelis J, Sauer R, Treuner J, Voute T, Winkelmann W, Winkler K, Göbel U (1988) Multidisciplinary treatment of primary Ewing sarcoma of bone. A 6-year experience of a European Cooperative Trial. Cancer 61:23–32
Liotta LA, Kleinerman J, Saidel GM (1974) Quantitative relationships of intravascular tumor cells, tumor vessels, and pulmonary metastases following tumor implantation. Cancer Res 34: 997–1004
Moss TJ, Reynolds CP, Sather HN, Romansky SG, Hammond GD, Seeger RC (1991) Prognostic value of immunocytologic detection of bone marrow metastases in neuroblastoma. N Engl J Med 324:219–226
Peter M, Magdelenat H, Michon J, Oberlin O, Zucker JM, Thomas G, Delattre O (1995) Sensitive detection of occult Ewing's cells by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Br J Cancer 72:96–100
Pfleiderer C, Zoubek A, Gruber B, Kronberger M, Ambros PF, Lion T, Fink FM, Gadner H, Kovar H (1995) Detection of tumour cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow from Ewing tumour patients by RT-PCR. Int J Cancer 64:135–139
Ross AA, Cooper BW, Lazarus HM, Mackay W, Moss TJ, Ciobanu N, Tallman MS, Kennedy MJ, Davidson NE, Sweet D, Winter C, Akard L, Jansen J, Copelan E, Meagher RC, Herzig RH, Klumpp TR, Kahn DG, Wamer NE (1993) Detection and viability of tumour cells in peripheral blood stem cell collections from breast cancer patients using immunocytochemical and clonogenic assay techniques. Blood 82:2605–2610
Seiden MV, Kantoff PW, Krithivas K, Propert K, Bryant M, Haltom E, Gaynes L, Kaplan I, Bubley G, De-Wolf W, Sklar J (1994) Detection of circulating tumor cells in men with localized prostate cancer. J Clin Oncol 12:2634–2639
Toretzky JA, Neckers L, Wexler LH (1995) Detection of (11;22) (q24;q12) translocation-bearing cells in peripheral blood progenitor cells of patients with Ewing's sarcoma family of tumours. JNCI 87:385–386
Zetter BR (1990) The cellular basis of site-specific tumor metastases. N Engl J Med 322:605–612
Zoubek A, Pfleiderer C, Salzer-Kunschik M, Amann G, Windhager R, Fink FM, Koscielniak E, Delattre O, Strehl S, Ambros PF, Gadner H, Kovar H (1994) Variability of EWS-chimeric transcripts in Ewing tumours: A comparison of clinical and molecular data. Br J Cancer 70:908–913
Zoubek A, Pfleiderer C, Ambros PF, Kronberger M, Dworzak MN, Gruber B, Luegmayer A, Windhager R, Fink FM, Urban C, Koscielniak E, Gadner H, Kovar H (1995) Minimal metastatic and minimal residual disease in patients with Ewing tumours. Klin Pädiatr 207:242–247
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zoubek, A., Kovar, H., Kronberger, M. et al. Mobilization of tumour cells during biopsy in an infant with Ewing sarcoma. Eur J Pediatr 155, 373–376 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01955264
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01955264