title: The site of the breakpoint within the bcr is a prognostic factor in Philadelphia-positive CML patients.
abstract: The Philadelphia (Ph1) chromosome, characteristic of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), arises from a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22. The site of the breakpoint on chromosome 22 is within a small region called the breakpoint cluster region (bcr). We have mapped the breakpoint within the bcr in peripheral blood leukocyte DNA from 22 Ph1-positive CML patients. No correlation between the site of the breakpoint and the clinical phase of the disease was found. However, a striking correlation between the site of the breakpoint and the length of time between presentation and onset of acute phase was observed: on average, patients with a 5' break-point had a fourfold longer chronic phase (median, 203 weeks) than those with a 3' breakpoint (median, 52 weeks).
authors.affiliation: Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: MacKenzie
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Birnie
mesh_terms: D015139:Blotting, Southern; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000235:genetics*; D015466:Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase / Q000235:genetics; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors; D014178:Translocation, Genetic