title: Detection of the BCR-ABL gene by reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization in a patient with Philadelphia chromosome negative acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
abstract: The Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome is detected in leukaemia cells in approximately 20% of adults with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). When treated with chemotherapy alone, Ph-positive ALL has a poor prognosis, and patients may benefit from bone marrow transplantation in first remission. Here we report a patient with chromosomally normal bone marrow, in all 60 cells analysed, who was found to have the p210-type BCR-ABL chimaeric transcript by RT/PCR. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was labelled cosmid probes for BCR and ABL showed the presence of BCR-ABL juxtaposition on a normal chromosome 22 in leukaemia cell metaphases. We conclude that molecular and cytogenetic methods should be used in conjunction to detect the BCR-ABL gene rearrangement in ALL.
authors.affiliation: LRF Centre for Adult Leukaemia, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van Rhee
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kasprzyk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jamil
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dickinson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Cross
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Galvin
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Secker-Walker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl