Abstract: Gene amplification (expression and their mutual relationship was analyzed in 92 solid pediatric tumors by Southern and Northern hybridization to N-MYC, ERB A, ERB B, N-RAS and Shb oncogene probes. Amplification and overexpression frequency was associated with more advanced clinical stages of the malignant disease, especially in neuroblastomas, rhabdomyosarcomas and ganglioneuroblastoma. The most frequent alteration was N-MYC amplification and overexpression. N-RAS amplification was not detected in any case, but overexpression was found in 3 cases. Amplification nor overexpression was revealed in any specimen of hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. We suggest that oncogenes overexpression provides more accurate prognostic information in comparsion with amplification.
The expression of oncogenes in solid tumors in children
