Molecular events during tumor progression in neuroblastoma

Abstract

The N-myc oncogene was first identified as an amplified DNA element with homology to c-myc in human neuroblastoma. Since this initial observation, amplification of N-myc has also been observed in other types of human cancer, predominantly in retinoblastoma and small cell lung cancer. The apparent role of the N-myc oncogene in neuroblastoma oncogenesis is unusual in that amplification of N-myc is hardy ever observed in primary non-metastatic neuoblastoma. Rather, amplification of N-myc has been found predominantly in advanced, widely metastatic neuroblastoma. This close association between N-myc amplification and metastatic ability suggests that a relationship exists between these two phenomena, namely that N-myc over-expression is responsible for the increased metastatic ability of the N-myc-amplified tumor cells.