Regression of Neuroblastoma IV-S: A Genetic Hypothesis

Abstract

Neuroblastoma is the classic tumor that illustrates the phenomenon of spontaneous regression. The most dramatic cases of regression occur in those infants who have disseminated disease involving liver, skin, or bone marrow. This clinical entity has been classified as a special form of disseminated neuroblastoma, Stage IV-S, to distinguish it from the more usual disseminated form,^{1 , 2} Stage IV. Recognition of Stage IV-S has stimulated great interest not only among clinicians, who now usually use less intensive therapy, but also among cancer biologists, who believe it can teach us about the natural history of cancer and suggest new means for modifying . . .