Revised Neuroblastoma Risk Classification System: A Report From the Children’s Oncology Group

Irwin MS, Naranjo A, Zhang FF, Cohn SL, London WB, Gastier-Foster JM, Ramirez NC, Pfau R, Reshmi S, Wagner E, Nuchtern J, Asgharzadeh S, Shimada H, Maris JM, Bagatell R, Park JR, Hogarty MD. Revised Neuroblastoma Risk Classification System: A Report From the Children’s Oncology Group. J Clin Oncol. 2021 Oct 10;39(29):3229-3241. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.00278. Epub 2021 Jul 28. PubMed PMID: 34319759; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8500606.

Treatment planning for children with neuroblastoma requires accurate assessment of prognosis. The most recent Children’s Oncology Group (COG) risk classification system used tumor stage as defined by the International Neuroblastoma Staging System. Here, we validate a revised classifier using the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group Staging System (INRGSS) and incorporate segmental chromosome aberrations (SCA) as an additional genomic biomarker. Newly diagnosed patients enrolled on the COG neuroblastoma biology study ANBL00B1 between 2007 and 2017 with known age, International Neuroblastoma Staging System, and INRGSS stage were identified (N = 4,832). Tumor MYCN status, ploidy, SCA status (1p and 11q), and International Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification histology were determined centrally. Survival analyses were performed for combinations of prognostic factors used in COG risk classification according to the prior version 1, and to validate a revised algorithm (version 2).