title: Chimeric BCR-abl messenger RNA as a marker for minimal residual disease in patients transplanted for Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: We correlated polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-detectable BCR-abl fusion transcripts with cytogenetic status in 24 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Of 10 Philadelphia chromosome negative (Ph-) patients, only one was found to exhibit a BCR-abl fusion transcript. Fourteen patients with Ph+ ALL, including eight in clinical remission, exhibited PCR-detectable BCR-abl rearrangements. A detectable Ph chromosome was present in only five of the eight patients in clinical remission. Of the three cytogenetically negative, BCR-abl-positive patients, two eventually succumbed to post-bone marrow transplantation (BMT) relapse. The third died of early transplant complications. Serial PCR analyses were performed on four Ph+ ALL patients in clinical remission who underwent allogeneic BMT. One patient who was PCR negative on post-BMT days 21 and 75 became PCR-positive on day 116 and died in relapse on day 154. One patient was weakly positive for BCR-abl on day 23, negative on day 56, but died of transplant complications on day 124. Two patients exhibited no post-BMT BCR-abl rearrangements and remain well on days 279 and 371. Our findings suggest that PCR analysis may be useful in the early identification of relapse in patients transplanted for Ph+ ALL.
authors.affiliation: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Gehly
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Kidd
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002648:Child; D002678:Chimera; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000601:surgery; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl