Sister chromatid exchanges in leukemic patients.
Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) was studied in PHA-stimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes from 36 newly diagnosed and untreated leukemic patients: 16 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 10 with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), and 10 with chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML). The metaphases analyzed show no chromosomal abnormalities. The mean SCE frequency (mean +/- SE) for each group of patients was: 6.8 +/- 0.4, 6.6 +/- 0.3, and 7.0 +/- 0.6 per mitosis, respectively, which was significantly lower than the mean SCE score for 30 controls (8.7 +/- 0.2). No differences in SCE score among ALL, ANLL, and CML and a similar SCE frequency by chromosome number and group allowed consolidation of all the cases into a single group of 36 leukemic patients (6.8 +/- 0.3). When the frequency of SCE was compared by chromosome number and group between the leukemic patients with the control group, a significant decrease in SCE frequency was observed due to a low SCE score in almost all the complements, except chromosome #1. It is suggested that the low SCE rate is related to the leukemic process itself.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics*; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000235:genetics; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000235:genetics; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange