Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30691436›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2019

Droplet digital PCR as an alternative to FISH for MYCN amplification detection in human neuroblastoma FFPE samples.

Dinesh Babu Somasundaram, Sheeja Aravindan, Zhongxin Yu, Muralidharan Jayaraman, Ngoc T B Tran, Shibo Li, Terence S Herman, Natarajan Aravindan

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Role of Anti-GDACS applied bio materials · 2026
    Article
  2. Droplet Digital PCR Improves Detection ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Dinesh Babu SomasundaramDepartments of Radiation Oncology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L. Young Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
Sheeja AravindanStephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Zhongxin YuDepartment of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L. Young Boulevard, BMSB 451, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
Muralidharan JayaramanStephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Ngoc T B TranDepartment of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L. Young Boulevard, BMSB 451, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
Shibo LiDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1200 Children's Ave. Ste 14000, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
Terence S HermanDepartments of Radiation Oncology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L. Young Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
Natarajan AravindanDepartments of Radiation Oncology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L. Young Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA. naravind@ouhsc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9150-3911
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center · USOklahoma State University Oklahoma City · US

Funding

Tissue Pathology Shared ResourceP30CA225520 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · PI Wade Williams · 2018 to 2026
$27.1M
TUMOR RESISTANCE MECHANISMS TO ANTI-VEGF THERAPY IN PROSTATE CANCER (Sukyung Woo)P20GM103639 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · PI DHANASEKARAN, DANNY N. · 2012 to 2022
$21.3M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA225520NIGMS NIH HHS P20 GM103639NIH HHS NIH 1P20GM103639-01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMYCN amplification directly correlates with the clinical course of neuroblastoma and poor patient survival, and serves as the most critical negative prognostic marker. Although fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) remains the gold standard for clinical diagnosis of MYCN status in neuroblastoma, its limitations warrant the identification of rapid, reliable, less technically challenging, and inexpensive alternate approaches.

methodsIn the present study, we examined the concordance of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR, in combination with immunohistochemistry, IHC) with FISH for MYCN detection in a panel of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) human neuroblastoma samples.

resultsIn 112 neuroblastoma cases, ddPCR analysis demonstrated a 96-100% concordance with FISH. Consistently, IHC grading revealed 92-100% concordance with FISH. Comparing ddPCR with IHC, we observed a concordance of 95-98%.

conclusionsThe results demonstrate that MYCN amplification status in NB cases can be assessed with ddPCR, and suggest that ddPCR could be a technically less challenging method of detecting MYCN status in FFPE specimens. More importantly, these findings illustrate the concordance between FISH and ddPCR in the detection of MYCN status. Together, the results suggest that rapid, less technically demanding, and inexpensive ddPCR in conjunction with IHC could serve as an alternate approach to detect MYCN status in NB cases, with near-identical sensitivity to that of FISH.

Indexed as

Polymerase Chain ReactionBiomarkers, TumorFormaldehydeGene AmplificationHumansImmunohistochemistryIn Situ Hybridization, FluorescenceNeuroblastomaN-Myc Proto-Oncogene ProteinParaffin EmbeddingSensitivity and SpecificityBiomarkers, TumorFormaldehydeMYCN protein, humanN-Myc Proto-Oncogene ProteinddPCRFISHImmunohistochemistryMYCN amplificationNeuroblastoma

Identifiers

PMID30691436
PMCPMC6348625
OpenAlexW2920124895

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.