title: Clinical relevance of residual disease monitoring by polymerase chain reaction in patients with ALL-1/AF-4 positive-acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
abstract: In this study we used reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the longitudinal monitoring of minimal residual disease in 12 patients with All-1/AF-4 positive ALL. Of these, seven also showed at presentation a typical t(4;11) cytogenetic translocation. Seven patients were infants <18 months of age and five were adults. Eleven patients were treated with high-dose intensive induction and consolidation chemotherapy without bone marrow transplantation and one received conservative treatment due to poor performance status. Three had resistant disease, four relapsed within 12 months after achieving complete remission, and five are in continuous complete remission (CCR) at 32, 39, 52, 53 and 61 months from diagnosis, respectively. The sequential analysis of the ALL-1/AF-4 hybrid transcript showed a persistently negative RT-PCR in the five CCR long-term survivors. The PCR analysis resulted persistently positive in the remaining seven cases, including the four cases who relapsed after the achievement of clinical CR. These data emphasize the clinical relevance of PCR monitoring analysis in t(4;11) ALL patients and should be considered in order to better determine variable post-remission treatment according to risk prediction.
authors.affiliation: Departimento de Biopatologia Umana, Universita La Sapienza di Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cimino
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Elia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rivolta
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rapanotti
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alimena
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Annino
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Canaani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lo Coco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biondi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001483:Base Sequence; D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11; D002894:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 4; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051788:Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014157:Transcription Factors; D035602:Transcriptional Elongation Factors; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497422:KMT2A protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D035602:Transcriptional Elongation Factors; D051788:Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein; C081449:AFF1 protein, human; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase