Flow cytometry as a diagnostic tool in childhood solid tumors

ABSTRACT

Childhood solid tumors represent about 30% of all pediatric cancers. In recent years, there has been some expansion in the use of flow cytometry (FC) in the diagnosis and monitoring of these diseases, since it is a method that allows for rapid and accurate results, enabling earlier conduct. We performed a literature search for a systematic review of the following terms in the Lilacs, PubMed, and Scielo data platforms: neoplasm, oncology, pediatrics, immunophenotyping, and flow cytometry. Thus, we describe the main findings to date on the use of FC in the differential diagnosis of the five main small round blue cell tumors of childhood: neuroblastoma, Ewing sarcoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumor, Wilms tumor, and rhabdomyosarcoma. In addition, we describe the main advantages and disadvantages of the method and panels that are proposed in the differential diagnosis of these pathologies through the international literature. Through this review, we observed that the use of FC in the diagnosis of solid tumors can be useful for rapid and accurate identification of the disease, as well as for the early initiation of treatment.