Dr. Federico on Risk Categorization in Neuroblastoma

Sara M. Federico, MD, an associate member of the St. Jude faculty at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, discusses risk categorization in neuroblastoma.

It is important to recognize the clear risk categorization in neuroblastoma, according to Federico. Historically, patients have been divided into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk disease categories, the criteria for which are primarily driven by age, and defined by less than 18 months old.

Additional criteria include disease stage, and the biology of the tumor, as well as factors such as amplification of MYCN, which is an oncogene amplification that occurs in approximately one-quarter of all patients with neuroblastoma and half of those with high-risk disease, Federico concludes.