Clinicopathological Study of N MYC Immunohistochemical Expression in Neuroblastoma in a Cohort of Egyptian Children

Yasmin H. Ali; Dina M. Abdallah; Doaa A. Abdelmonsif; Galila El Taweel

doi:10.31557/APJCC.2026.11.5.641

Authors

Yasmin H. Ali Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt.
Dina M. Abdallah Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt.
Doaa A. Abdelmonsif Medical Biochemistry Department, Genomics Research Lab, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt.
Galila El Taweel Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31557/APJCC.2026.11.5.641

Keywords:

MYCN, N MYC, neuroblastoma, immunohistochemistry, children, Egypt

Abstract

Introduction: Neuroblastoma is marked by its heterogenous clinical behavior, and MYCN oncogene is a key molecular marker associated with high-risk neuroblastoma. Although, MYCN status can be assessed using various methods, few studies have explored MYCN expression using immunohistochemistry (IHC). This study aimed to evaluate the N MYC protein expression using IHC in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) neuroblastoma tissue sections and correlate expression levels with different clinicopathological parameters.

Materials and Methods: N MYC IHC was performed on forty neuroblastoma cases and scored based on staining intensity and the percentage of positive tumor cells. Expression levels were categorized as negative, low expression, or high expression.

Results: Negative, low, and high immune expression were observed in 22.5%, 50%, and 27.5% of cases respectively. High immune expression was seen in neuroblastoma with undifferentiated or poorly differentiated morphology, a high mitosis-karyorrhexis index (MKI), and unfavorable histology.

Conclusions: N MYC high immune expression correlates with poor histopathological prognostic factors and may serve as a potential screening tool for MYCN amplification in neuroblastoma, though further validation is required.