Expression of N-myc downstream regulated gene 4 (NDRG4) in neuroblastoma.

Abstract

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a malignant tumour that arises from the nerve tissues, with various clinical behaviours. It is mainly found in infants and young children. Its malignancy and high metastatic properties causes high mortality rate for patients with this cancer. We investigated the expression of a lesser known tumour surpressor, NDRG4, in NB using Immunohistochemistry (IHC) to determine if it can be used as a potential biomarker as well as to expand its profile in general. We found out that NDRG4 is indeed present in NB, despite its complexity. NDRG4 is also found in several other organs not documented before, such as the stomach and liver. However, more work is needed to further prove NDRG4 as a potential biomarker as well as to measure the effect of its quantity in the different tissues.